Just Too Tempting
by Avadne
Summary: {COMPLETE} Hermione knows falling for the wrong guy is just too tempting. One form a different era? Even worse, what with destructing your own time and all. But what’s a girl in love to do? Time turner fic. AU. HGJP
1. Prologue: A Journey

**Just Too Tempting**

****

By **Avadne**

****

**Prologue: **A Journey

(INT: 1997)

"Come on, Granger, we don't have all day!" drawled out an annoying voice. That was definitely Draco Malfoy, the Seeker for Slytherin's Quidditch team and nemesis of Harry Potter for a good 6 years now; Draco was eagerly welcoming the 7th. Only this year had things started to look up slightly; very slightly, in Hermione Granger's opinion. But sadly, with an up side, there came a down side. Entering the final year at Hogwarts was great, of course, but nerve racking for anyone. For Hermione, however… it was ten times worse. Not to mention N.E.W.T's this year; Hermione had relaxed in some areas, but study was not particularly one of them. No doubt she would be the first one revising, buried under various textbooks, quills and parchment. Three weeks into 7th year, and Hermione was already frazzled; it was Friday now, so the weekend was nearing. _Finally, _Hermione thought to herself.

"Oh, shut up, Malfoy!" Hermione snapped back at Draco. Ignore the fact that they had started to get along a bit since the middle of last year; it didn't mean their fights stopped. They were just reduced to a more_ manageable_ level. But Hermione had learnt a few more things about Malfo-_Draco_, she told herself. She had decided to call him Draco; there were a few interesting tidbits of information about Draco that Hermione had learnt of. Like the fact that he changed moods in seconds. As far as she was concerned, Hermione thought it was funny, if not a little creepy.

"I love it when you snap at me," Draco replied, grinning impishly. Hermione rolled her eyes, but smiled too; this Draco was better than Screaming Draco by far. Hermione and Draco were currently heading up to Dumbledore's office to discuss their roles as Head Boy and Girl. That's right; Draco was Head Boy. Hermione, of course, had it coming, but Draco? Although, one had to admit he had changed a lot. Since his father was sent to Azkaban, Draco had improved greatly. Yes, he was still a Slytherin, cunning and sly and definitely somewhat _evil_. But not evil in a dark, Voldemort type way. There was something dangerous about him, still, but it was an exciting danger that Hermione found rather interesting. Besides, Draco wasn't all that awful once you knew him. Now it sounded like Hermione had a crush on Draco, which she certainly did not. Well not really, anyway. She'd admit that he was good looking, but nothing more. Ron and Harry, however, we're still on 'acquaintance' terms and had been much harder to persuade. But it was clear that the young Malfoy had undergone change; there were no more Mudblood taunts, no Voldemort worshiping, and no more dark behavior. Well, not that much anyway.

"Acid Pop," Hermione said the password clearly and a second later, both walked into Dumbledore's office; Dumbledore's _vacant _office. Draco looked around and casually took a seat. Hermione sighed, but followed his example, waiting for their headmaster.

"Hey, is that a Pensive?" Draco asked interestedly. He got up and walked over to Dumbledore's desk, running his long fingers over the edge Pensive and staring deeply inside it.

"Leave it alone, Draco," Hermione warned. Draco ignored her completely, leaning forward. "Draco!" Hermione protested; she really was _not _in the mood for his childish antics today. Truly, Hermione had relaxed a fair bit about rule-breaking. In fact, she, Ron and Harry had gotten into a few major pranks since 5th year. Not enough to be the pranksters that Fred and George had been, but there were occasions. Right now, though, was certainly not the time. They were meant to show Dumbledore that they were responsible enough for the positions of the Heads. Plainly, Draco did not agree.

"Oh, come on, Hermione! Let's have some fun," Draco grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled both of them head first into the Pensive. _This cannot and will not be good, _Hermione began to think. But her train of musings was never finished, because she had some bigger things to think about. Like how she was now lurching through space. Actually, it felt a bit like traveling by Portkey mixed with traveling by time-turner…

_Oh my God. Please, don't let it be what I think it is…_

_Screw calling Malfoy by his first name.__ If I'm right, I am going to slaughter him. Even if it means going to Azkaban_

* * *

(INT: 1977)

"Oh come on, Evans. Go out with me," James Potter begged desperately. The look Lily Evans, the current object of his affection, was a death glare that reflected disgust in her emerald eyes. Why was he asking her out, anyway? He didn't even know her. He had never paid any attention to her before 5th year, when he realized that Lily was the only girl that wouldn't giggle or flirt in his presence. What did James Potter, trouble maker extraordinaire, want with Lily Evans, resident Gryffindor good girl? Absolutely nothing, as far as Lily was concerned. But James had a different feeling on this subject and he was certainly persistent, she'd give him that.

"How many times will I say it, Potter? I will _under no circumstances_ go out with you!" she screeched back. Having this scenario in 4th year would have been highly unusual. James was one of the most popular guys in the school; him and his fellow Marauders, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Well, not so much Peter, he was a bit of a tag along. And Lily Evans was definitely not at the same scale as the girls that usually draped themselves over the Marauders. She was the smart girl that hung out in the library a lot. But in 5th year, James had discovered that Lily was one of the only girls that didn't desperately want him, that she didn't bat her eyelashes at him when they talked; not that they did that a lot. But James was infatuated; she was his new challenge. Unfortunately, Lily wasn't exactly _fond_ of James. At all.

"Give it a rest, Prongs," Sirius advised, using their special Marauder nicknames. Lily's face clouded slightly in confusion at the mention; no one at Hogwarts, other than the Marauders themselves, new why they called each other Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot or Prongs. There were a few… _interesting_ rumors about 'Moony', but nothing really concrete. Some of the much more observant students may have pieced together the puzzle, but so far, no one they knew of had. Thankfully.

"Hey, can you hear anything?" Remus asked. Everyone shook their heads, but Remus strained to listen anyway. One of his werewolf-ish abilities was enhanced senses, including hearing. He shook his head, as if imagining it, but was sure there was some kind of noise.

"I think I can hear something, too," Peter whispered. He was standing close to a closet they hadn't noticed before. Remus motioned for him to move away slightly and walked closer himself. Yes, he hadn't been imagining it; there was definitely something in there.

"Are you sure you should do that?" Lily asked nervously. Remus was the only Marauder she associated with, but only because he was a Prefect. And even so, she just barely nodded at him or one-word answers. So what if James was Head Boy? He didn't deserve it. The less Marauders she saw, the better of she was, in Lily's opinion. Remus paid no attention to Lily's warning however; he was catching bits of the noise. It was a conversation between 2 people. Or more like a fight. Remus pressed his ear against the door; the pair was very busy fighting. The others watched him with curious expressions on their faces, as they couldn't hear a single thing. Remus pressed a finger to his lips, motioning for them to shut up.

"-Listen up, Malfoy; do you want me to whack you again?" a feminine voice asked in a panicking fashion. Remus had a strong vision of someone freaking out, hyperventilating.

"Yes, I do. It's my greatest thrill in life; being hit by you, Granger!" another voice replied. This one was masculine, and was dripping with sarcasm impatiently.

"Do you realize who they ar-"

"I hope we're not interrupting anything?" Remus asked sarcastically, as he pulled the door open and met 2 stunned faces. There was the face of a girl, whose long, brown tangles came down to around her elbows and surrounded her clear, tanned face. The second face, a boy, platinum hair and cold silver eyes. The girl's warm, brown eyes widened in shock and the boy began to say something in a haughty tone, but looked up and cursed. The girl grabbed the boys arm and bolted.

"Well, that was strange," muttered James.

"It's Hogwarts, what did you expect?" Sirius replied, smirking. The Marauders headed off in one direction. James's mind was still on the two people. Lily walked of in another direction, also thinking. _That boy looks terribly familiar,_ she realized. He obviously looked like Lucius Malfoy, a tormentor of hers that had left Hogwarts a few years back; Malfoy's favourite activity had been whispering Mudblood taunts in her ears. But there was something else about him. Almost like she was _going_ to meet him, somehow, but never got around to it.

* * *

(A/N: This is a few minutes earlier, Hermione and Draco's POV while in the closet)

"Shit," Hermione was at a loss for words; there were some moments where nothing was left to say except for a good cuss to take out your anger. Now was one of those times, for sure.

"Whoa, Granger! Did you just swear?" Draco asked in bewilderment, completely ignoring the situation at hand.

"Well, have you got any better ideas. Do you _realize_ what happened? Probably not. But if you did, you'd know there's nothing else to do but swear. We didn't just go into somebody's memory," Hermione snapped back.

"So enlighten me. What happened?" Draco asked.

"Oh, look around you stupid, blonde prick!" Hermione was _not_ happy.

"Hey! I take offence to that; my hair is perfect, thank you very much. Besides, I _have_ looked around. We're in a closet in some hallway. So what?"

"Congratulations, Malfoy, you've passed 1st year! Did you have the sense to look _outside _the closet?" Nothing like a good, sarcastic remark before getting to the point.

"I bloody can't! I'm sorry I don't have the skill to look through _solid wood!_"

"Are you a wizard or just someone posing? Do you own a wand or not?"

"Oh, yeah!"

"Oh, yeah is right! Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"What? That hot redhead and those 3 guys? OUCH! You don't have to hit me; I'm just stating a fact!" Draco was rubbing his arm tenderly. Hermione hit _hard._

"Listen Malfoy; do you want me to whack you again?"

"Yes, I do. It's my greatest thrill in life; being hit by you, Granger!" Draco replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Do you realize who they ar-" Hermione started, but never got the chance to finish.

"I hope we're not interrupting anything?" Hermione and Draco had been so busy bickering they hadn't realized that the closet had been opened and they were face to face with… Remus Lupin; younger without such a lines face and his light brown hair deliberately tousled but grey-free. He was smirking and facing them, voice dripping with sarcasm. And who were those boys with him? They looked strangely like a much younger Sirius Black, also younger with short hair, longer at the front to fall forwards… and Harry? Harry with hazel eyes… That girl, there was something familiar about her, too; her emerald eyes looked immensely recognizable.

Hermione gasped. Her worst fears had been confirmed, the ones that had started when she realized that getting here felt like Portkey and time travel mixed together. The fear had increased when they ended up in a strange closet. And once she had seen Remus Lupin, Hermione had almost been sure. But this finished it off. Clearly, Draco hadn't gotten the picture quite yet; so much for being the second smartest student at Hogwarts, only beaten by Hermione.

"And how is that any of you're busi- WHOA, SHIT!" Draco's eyes had widened as he realized who he was speaking to. Hermione didn't know what to do. So she did the first thing that popped into her head; grabbed Draco and ran. To Hermione's immense surprise, Draco did not try to tug his hand away or slow them down.

* * *

**Disclaimer**

If I owned Harry Potter or anything associated with his world, I would not be in an average sized house, in an average neighbourhood of Australia, drinking water, would I?

I would be on my own exotic island, possibly a Screwdriver or Vodka Cruiser yeah, I'm underage. Does it look like I care, though? in my hand, with my masseuse being someone like, oh, I don't know, a fictional character by the name of Sirius Black, maybe? Better yet, Draco!

Now, I'm a slacker and I can't be bothered posting a disclaimer each chapter; so that is for the whole story, everyone.

Review, everyone! If you think this is the typical time-turner story, no rule breaking, secrets and stuff, you'll be in for a nice shock ending…

Avadne


	2. Chapter 1: A Meeting

**Just Too Tempting**

****

By** Avadne**

****

**Chapter 1: **A Meeting****

"Please don't tell me we've gone back in time," groaned Draco. He and Hermione were standing in a corridor, slightly out of breath. And worse of all, they had been seen.

"Fine, I won't tell you. But you've got to face it sooner or later," Hermione snapped back. Another groan from Draco. _Like I want to be stuck here with… oh my god. Don't tell me Mother's here. Or even worse, Father… _Draco began to panic. He did some quick addition in his head and sighed with relief. Both of his parents had been out of Hogwarts for a few years.

Hermione too was doing some fast thinking. Yes, it appeared to be 1977- James had a shiny Head Boy badge pinned to his robes and Lily had the Head Girl's on her. The Marauders would be in 7th year then. According to Harry, Lily and James would start dating some time this year.

"We better go to Dumbledore," Draco decided hesitantly. _Bloody brilliant.__ I'm going to have so much fun here,_ he thought sarcastically.

"Yes, that's a good idea. Come on," Hermione agreed. Dumbledore was always a good option; if they couldn't go to him, who could they go to?

"Acid Pop," The gargoyle didn't move. _Of course it wouldn't have the same password, _Hermione thought.

"Sugar Plum? Lemon Drop? Cockroach Cluster? Chocolate Frog? Sugar Quill? Oh, come on you stupid thing, open up!" Draco was trying his luck with random foods that Dumbledore might pick. Nothing. Draco kicked the gargoyle in frustration. The result was Draco with a very sore toe, cursing colourfully.

"Can I help you?" asked an amused voice from behind. Both teens swiveled around to find Dumbledore standing behind them, looking much entertained. Hermione sighed with relief.

"Yes, you bloody well can. Tell that stupid thing to _move_!" howled Draco, still hopping around on one leg. Hermione shot him a look.

"Sorry. Yes, you can, Sir. I'm Hermione Granger and this is Draco… Malfoy," Hermione said, uttering 'Malfoy' hesitantly. As expected, Dumbledore looked slightly surprised.

"Malfoy?" Hermione nodded. Dumbledore looked around swiftly before letting them into his office. "Of course, you look just like... Come in, what seems to be the problem?"

"We're from the future," Draco said bluntly, rubbing his foot. Dumbledore's eyebrows rose. He looked at them slightly suspiciously.

"Draco and I are the Head Boy and Girl in the year 1997. We were just waiting in your office for you, but then Draco…"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" Draco whined. He was not in a good mood. Having someone snap at him, traveling to the past, more snapping and hitting his toe tended to do that to him.

"Yes it was! Anyway, Draco, well, he dragged me into what we thought was a Pensive. Obviously, it wasn't because the next thing we know we're locked in some closet. I spelled the doors to be able to see outside and I saw a group of people out there. Draco and I were arguing and then Remus Lupin opened the door and asked us what we were doing. We ran for it," Hermione explained.

"Is there any way you can offer me proof? I'm sorry, but for all I know, you're Death Eaters in disguise," Dumbledore requested calmly. Draco goggled at the man; how could he be so peaceful about this?

"What about… ok, some of the current members of the Order of the Phoenix, or ones you are thinking about recruiting are… Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadows, the Prewett brothers, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Emmeline Vance and Hestia Jones,"

"How do you know about the Order? I only founded it a few weeks ago. Nearly all of those are members and indeed, I _was_ thinking of recruiting, the Prewetts…" Dumbledore trailed off, amazed.

"We know," she replied emphatically. Dumbledore nodded slowly, showing he believed them. But Draco broke Dumbledore out of his thoughts.

"Hey, that's that thing we went into!" Draco yelled out, pointing to a Pensive like item. Dumbledore looked surprised.

"I wondered where that came from and what it was… Has anyone else seen you yet?" Dumbledore asked evenly.

"Yes. Remus was standing with 3 other people. One was definitely Sirius Black and I think the other 2 were Lily and James Potter," Hermione's eyes widened at her mistake. "I mean, Lily Evans and James Potter," she corrected herself quickly.

"That was Potter's mum? Who knew she was so ho-" Draco began, but was silenced by a sharp look from Hermione.

"Now, how exactly do you know those people? And what's this about Lily and James Potter?" asked Dumbledore.

"Should we really be telling him this? Won't it affect the future?" Draco asked, ignoring Dumbledore. Hermione frowned; he had a point. She answered as best as she could.

"Well, Sir, our friend, Harr-" Draco shot her a look. She sighed. "Fine, _my_ friend, Harry, is the son of Lily and James Potter," Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling.

"Well, that was unexpected. Please try not to reveal their future existence to them or anyone else. You are, of course, welcome to stay here for the time being. I shall try to find a way back home for you as soon as possible. We'll need a cover story; I request both of you change you're names," Dumbledore said. Draco was still amazed at Dumbledore's easy acceptance of these bizarre circumstances, but he saw Hermione looking thoughtful and followed her example.

"Well, my middle name is Jane, but I'll go with Mi Hooper. My dad used to call me Mi and Hooper is my mother's maiden name. Everyone will just figure out that Mi is a nickname, but they won't know what to," Hermione decided.

"I'll be… Hunter Brown. Mother was a Black, but I can't really use that around here, so Brown will do. And Hunter is my middle name," Draco put in.

"Hunter? You're middle name is _Hunter_?" asked Hermione, giggling slightly.

"Yes, it is. It's a much better name than _Jane_ or _Mi_ or whatever the hell name you're using," Draco began defiantly. "Father quite liked the idea of me being a muggle hunter, so he was all for naming me that. But Mother stepped in, so Hunter became my middle name instead."

"Very well; you've been home schooled for the past 6 years, but your parents decided that for your final year, you should come here. I think you can fill in the gaps from there. I don't think I need to impale on you the seriousness of this situation; you _mustn't_ allow others to know what happens in their future. It would be wise to keep your time travel a secret, but I know some of the, ah, more _curious_ students will figure it out. Be very careful of what you say and do. Now, sorting …" Dumbledore trailed of.

"There's no need for that. I'm a Gryffindor and Draco's a Slytherin," Hermione was quick to answer. She muttered something under her breath and sparkly writing appeared in front of Dumbledore;

_Hermione Jane Granger  
__1980 - Present  
__Gryffindor  
__Head Girl, Hogwarts - 1997_

_Draco Hunter Malfoy  
__1980 – Present  
__Slytherin  
__Head Boy, Hogwarts - 1997_

Dumbledore nodded in acceptance, admiration visible as Hermione blushed. She knew how advanced that charm was.

"Very advanced, Miss Granger… or Hooper, as it were. Now, you appear to have robes and such ready. I'll be getting you the rest of your supplies shortly. Oh, one more thing. Lily Evans and James Potter are this years Head Boy and Girl. I must ask you to remove your badges," Draco and Hermione compiled. "Oh, and I would suggest changing your general appearance, just enough not to be recognized in the future; Mr. Lupin and his friends have already seen you, but some small changes wouldn't go astray. I'll leave that to you; you seem capable," both Hermione and Draco nodded.

"Sir, what's happening back in our time? Have we just disappeared, or has time just stopped and when we come back everything will resume?" Hermione asked fearfully.

"Both of those possibilities are very likely. In fact, I'm almost certain that one of those has happened. There is only one other option… But it's highly unlikely. Now, I also request that you come to my office weekly, to discuss such things. Say, Thursdays, after dinner. Good day." Dumbledore said before they were ushered out of his office.

* * *

"Now, we need to glamour ourselves slightly, remember?" Hermione twirled her wand nervously. A glamour gave you the illusion of looking different. It could be little things like eye colour, which was about N.E.W.T level, or much bigger things like height or weight.

"Right. Ok, small changes," Draco closed his eyes firmly, eyebrows creasing. He waved his wand and muttered the incantation. His platinum hair went a few shades darker at the tips and lighter at the roots, lengthening to fall into his new eyes, incidentally, icy grey becoming light blue. His nose shrunk slightly and his cheekbones heightened. Pale skin became slightly tanned.

"_Glamourius_,"Hermione mumbled, eyes closed. Tangled curls became smoother waves with lighter streaks, shortening to just below her shoulders. Caramel coloured eyes suddenly widened and turned darker brown with blue and green specks in them. A few light freckles appeared across Hermione's new, slightly upturned nose. Dimples were created when Hermione smiled. Hermione and Draco still had their similar overall look, but the changes made them recognizable only to those that knew them well.

"Wow, I didn't know it was possible for me to look ever better than before. I think I proved myself wrong. Not bad, Granger, not bad at all. I guess I can kind of see why Weasel was after you for a while," Hermione hit Draco again, but blushed slightly. Admittedly, she had gone out with Ron for a while, but things just didn't work out. And Draco knew it very well, because he was one of the reasons of their break-up, too. Hermione just couldn't handle Ron disagreeing with her on everything, his annoying whining, his terrible jealous possessiveness and the prejudice against Malfoy, who was becoming a new person. But Hermione shook that thought out of her head.

* * *

"So who are they? I was sure we knew everyone here," asked James, flopping down on the couch. The 4 Marauders were currently musing about the 2 students Remus found in that closet.

"I have no idea. I've never seen them before," replied Remus, curiosity filling his voice. His forehead furrowed in confusion. They seemed to appear out of no where.

"I would remember their faces. That girl wasn't bad…" trailed off James, remembering the pretty, curly haired brunette. Sirius snorted.

"Moving on from Lily?" he asked, smirking. James had liked Lily Evans since 5th year. And from 5th year, she had been turning James down.

"About time," muttered Peter. James glared at him and Peter looked down in fear. The portrait of the Fat Lady opened to reveal one of the subjects of their conversation. The girl, it was. James had been right, was rather pretty; her hair was light brown with golden streaks, very thick and wavy and she had very tanned skin. James jumped up enthusiastically and headed over there.

"Hi, I'm James Potter. Are you new here?" he asked. Up close, he realized that her chocolate eyes had flecks of green and blue.

"Yes, I'm new. I mean, hi, I'm Mi Hooper," she answered, blushing a bit. James smiled at her and led her over to the Marauders.

"That's Remus," he pointed at Remus who smiled amusedly. The memory of their first meeting in the closet was still rather entertaining. Hermione turned even pinker. "Pete," James continued, gesturing to Peter, who smiled a bit. Hermione felt anger well up inside her. This was the scum that killed Lily and James!

"And I'm Sirius," Sirius broke in with a charming smile.

"I'm Mi Hooper," She said again, smiling. _Oh God, oh God, oh God. It should be Harry here, not me,_ her brain was furiously working.

"So, I didn't know Hogwarts took in new students?" Remus directed it into more of a question than a statement.

"Well, it usually doesn't. I've been home schooled. But my parents thought it would be best for me to go to Hogwarts this year," Hermione replied, using the story Dumbledore cooked up for them.

"Allow us to give you the official tour, then?" Sirius replied charmingly, offering his arm to Hermione, who smiled and took it. The four Marauders directed them out of the Common Room and began to show them around the school. Hermione had to act surprised and impressed at each site. She new the school well, obviously; Hermione had been using a certain map since 3rd year, not to mention all the sneaking around that Ron and Harry had persuaded to her to do. But the Marauders weren't meant to know that.

"So, where did you live before?" Remus asked curiously. Hermione was quickly calculating her options and panicking inside. She struggled to keep a cool face on the outside.

"I lived in Italy, but I'm originally from England. I moved when I was 10," Hermione replied. She had been in Italy and if Remus decided to ask her some questions, she could probably forge out some kind of believable answer.

"So, what's it like being home-schooled?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, it's different, I guess. The hours are more flexible, but we cover the same type of thin-" an interruption caused Hermione to stop. Draco had just walked out of the bathroom. Upon spotting her, he smirked.

"Hey, _Mi_," he said, emphasizing her fake name. Hermione glared heavily at him.

"This unfortunate being here is Hunter Brown," Hermione began, but didn't get the chance to finish.

"Will you stop introducing me? I can speak for myself!" he snapped. The Marauders seemed slightly shocked that Draco was being so rude, but Hermione was used to it. She smiled scathingly and answered appropriately.

"Oh really? Well, since you couldn't even perform a simple Window Spell earlier, I simply assumed that you couldn't talk either," Draco glared at her again.

"Well, excuse me for being a little caught up with you rude comments about my _hair!_ That was a bit preoccupying, you know!" he growled. Then his face broke out into a smile. Hermione laughed; Draco had a habit of changing his mood in seconds. The Marauders were looking more and more puzzled.

"Don't think about it too much," she advised them. Sirius laughed lightly.

"Well, I'm Sirius. That's James, Remus next to him and Pete, behind them," he continued. Draco nodded slightly, looking bored.

"So, want to join us?" James asked politely, studying Draco carefully. Draco shrugged indifferently, looking around casually.

"We're taking a _tour_," Hermione told him, looking meaningfully into his fake blue eyes. _Act surprised, don't reveal anything,_ was the clear warning. Draco snorted ever so quietly, but raised no protest. Remus, who had heard Draco's deride noise, looked at him questioningly, but did not push it. Seconds later, he shrugged and continued with the tour. Funnily enough, there was a strange feeling at the pit of his stomach that the tour was pointless. Something was not quite right here, and Remus knew it, even if no on else did.

* * *

I'm going to try to make each chapter at least 2000 words; it will be between 2000-3000, hopefully.

I realize that Mi-Hermione is not likely, but I have special reasons for Hermione not to actually _change_ her name or use something drastically different. They'll be apparent much later on

Review everyone!

Avadne


	3. Chapter 2: A Gentleman

**Just Too Tempting**

****

By **Avadne**

****

**Chapter 2: **A Gentleman****

****

Lily was still curiously thinking about that boy and girl they found in the closet; who were they? Why were they in a closet? And where did they come from? Lily knew almost all the students by name; although no where near as popular as the Marauders, her Prefect and Head Girl duties had forced her to take each student in careful consideration and knowledge.

"Excuse me?" she asked hesitantly when she spotted the Marauders accompanying the new students. They all turned sharply; was that a look of recognition in the girl's blue-green-brown eyes? It couldn't be. And what was that in the strange _boy's_ eyes, a somewhat creepy pale blue.

"Hello, Lily," Remus greeted her, bordering on polite. They had been Prefects together since 5th year, so there was time spent together; but as a Marauder, Lily didn't really hold any of them in high acclaim. She gave a very hesitant, forced half-smiled at him and was just about to ask, but the Marauders weren't done yet. There was always something else they could say. Especially Sirius. Speaking of which, he had just piped up.

"What do you want, Evans?" he asked, much ruder. Lily had never been impressed with Sirius, like the other girls. Admittedly, she had harbored a _tiny_ crush on him in 3rd year, but it was quickly squashed down to nothingness when she learned about his personality. Up until 5th year, he had basically ignored her; probably not purposely, but he didn't even know who Lily was. Then Potter started asking her out. And every time, Lily rejected him. Naturally, as James's best friend, Sirius was not happy with Lily.

"Are you always such a prick?" Hermione asked lightly, looking at Sirius. Remus smirked at this and a knowing look came over his face, as well as a playful glint in his amber eyes.

"Trust me, you don't know half of it," he replied for the other boy. While his voice was deadpanned, a ghost of a grin was trying to make its way onto Remus's face. Sirius looked mock-hurt.

"You're killing me, Moony. How can you be so cruel?" Sirius asked dramatically, clutching his heart in an over exaggerated motion. Hermione rolled her eyes and noticed that James had done the same. They grinned at each other briefly, before turning their attention back to the real problem.

"Forget it. I should've expected this; after all, you are friends with _Potter_," she spat out the name like it was dirt. James looked slightly hurt, but covered it up quickly. Lily had already stormed of, not even asking for the students' names.

"Stay away from that one, she's dangerous," Sirius advised, grinning and looking at James.

"Lily Evans. She's the Head Girl and a Gryffindor," Peter explained quietly.

"James has been asking her out since 5th ye-" Sirius began helpfully, but James elbowed him hard in the ribs. Not exactly smooth, but James glared heavily at the other boy. A silent conversation with their eyes later, both James and Sirius turned around, back to Hermione, Draco, Pete and Remus.

"Forget it, we'll tell you all about the dynamics of Hogwarts later. Now, on with the tour," Sirius said, grinning cheekily. Draco rolled his eyes, not amused, but Hermione grinned. _This might not be so bad after all,_ she though reluctantly.

* * *

It had now been 5 days since the arrival of Hermione and Draco at Hogwarts, 1977 and so far, it was certainly a memorable experience. Hermione had observed the Marauders carefully; Remus had light brown hair that was purposely somewhat messy, large amber eyes and a smooth tan, as well as being taller than all the others, but still slender. She had also spotted that everyday Remus had the same heavy chain disappearing under his school shirt and robes. _And_ Hermione had noticed that all 4 Marauders coincidentally _disappeared_ last night, Tuesday the 27th, not to return until midday today.

Sirius had shaggy black hair, cut shorter with the front a bit longer, so that it fell into his stormy grey eyes and aristocratic features; Hermione also noticed that the top of his right ear held an ordinary, muggle piercing. He had broad shoulders and was only an inch or two shorter than Remus. Hermione had smirked at her first sight of Sirius's pierced ear and was sure that his mother would simply have _loved_ it. Come to think of it, that was probably the reason Sirius had gotten it in he first place.

Peter; well, he was the shortest out of the group, shorter than Hermione even. He was also rather pale-skinned and had wavy, blonde hair, cut rather short and watery eyes and a round face, as well as fidgety hands that Hermione immediately saw.

But the one that took her breath away was James… about the same height as Sirius, taller than Harry had been, he was also rather thin with extraordinarily messy black hair, a strong jaw, paper-white ivory skin and hazel eyes, with a pair of wire-rimmed glasses resting on his straight nose, that almost looked like they were just a decoration.

Hermione had just been thinking about Lily; her dark red waves, emerald eyes and fair skin, when James had suggested a practice duel out of boredom. A few minutes later, they were both fully into it.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" a voice yelled out angrily. James and Hermione stopped their training to see what was going on. Classes had already been going for nearly a month, but it was Hermione and Draco were due to restart their classes this Monday. The past few days had been spent touring Hogwarts, meeting students and generally just lounging around. Hermione had spent an alarming amount of time with the Marauders, while Draco was not always with them; he had made a few unlikely allies in his own house, apparently.

"Oh. Evans," James said, as if bracing himself for a lecture. Lily Evans was standing in front of Hermione and James, eyes narrowed down dangerously in James's direction. Surprisingly, Lily had not yet been properly introduced to the new students, while the Marauders had taken an instant liking to them.

"Don't you 'Oh. Evans' me, Potter!" she spat out. "Leave her alone, you arrogant bully. Always picking on other people-"

"Evans, calm down. It's not what it looks like," James defended himself, slightly alarmed. She gave him a very fierce glare. Hermione was deeply amused and look on.

"Shut up, Potter! Don't try to justify yourself. Moved on from Snape, have you?" she yelled.

"Mi, a little help?" James asked desperately. Hermione laughed at his expression. Lily stopped, seeming very confused at the polite and distressed, yet slightly amused tone James had used.

"Hi, I'm Mi Hooper. I came to Hogwarts for my final year with my… ah, _friend_, Hunter Brown. James was nice enough to introduce me to some people and show me around. We were just having a dueling practice; James here wanted some help with his technique. And you are…?" Hermione asked, smiling slightly at James, who grinned back.

"Oh. I'm Lily Evans," Lily introduced herself, going very red. "Sorry, I though Potter was terrorizing people like he usually does," Here, Lily shot James a very nasty look. He winked at her. Her glare increased.

"Really? From what I've seen, James has been a complete gentleman," Hermione answered, suppressing a giggle. Lily's eyes widened as James smirked.

"We better get back to it, Mi. I've never seen anyone break through my Transfiguration Shield before, but that stunner just shattered it," James said, impressed by Hermione's knowledge of DADA. She hadn't been the smartest witch in her year and an active member of the DA for nothing. Not to mention all her secret practices with Harry when they thought she was the next target. _And_ the goings on of 6th year… everything had left Hermione quite skilled in protecting herself.

"Thanks, James. You're pretty good too. I might show you a patronus after this, if you want," Hermione offered. Lily was still standing in the same spot, listening.

"You-you can make a patronus?" she asked with amazement. Lily had read about the magic of a patronus, but never made one before. It was incredibly advanced magic.

"Yeah, I learned in 5th year," Hermione answered proudly. "My best friend, Harry-" she faltered slightly, shifting her eyes form Lily to James, "-taught me. He was brilliant at DADA," Hermione's eyes filled up with tears as she thought of Harry, her best friend.

"You miss him a lot, don't you?" Lily asked gently. Hermione nodded, but then brightened.

"_Expecto__ Patronum_," she yelled out suddenly. Her silvery patronus burst out, a small, innocent looking otter. James and Lily stared at it with amazement; it was a beautiful sight. "You see, I was thinking of Harry, happy thoughts. It was the ideal time for a patronus," she explained. The little otter disappeared a few minutes later, leaving a deeply impressed Lily and James.

"Do you think you could teach me?" James asked in amazement.

"Sure, if you want. But it's extremely advanced. It will be hard learning one now," Hermione warned. James grinned back, accepting the challenge.

"You have to think of a very happy memory or thought. Anything that makes you feel joy; see, your Patronus is a reflection of love, life and happiness. Everything a Dementor hates and tries to suck out of you. But as your Patronus isn't an actual being, it cannot die," Hermione explained, very aware that Lily was hanging on to every words, but not about to say so. James had just raised his wand eagerly, ready to try, but was interrupted. There was a very loud crash and yelling.

"PRONGS!" a voice yelled. Another loud crash later, Sirius had bounded into the room happily, which was clearly never a good sign. His luminous grey eyes sparkled with excitement and there was a large, mischievous smile on his face.

* * *

"We're going to plan another prank… we just wanted to get Evans away, she always ruins it," Sirius began excitedly as Remus sniggered slightly.

"Padfoot, maybe you'd have the sense to actually _ask_ Mi and Hunter if they _like_ pranks?" Remus asked. In the short time they had been here, Hermione and Draco had seen a new side to their future Professor. While he wasn't as crazy as Sirius or James, he had a certain roguish quality about him. He was also very cynical, and easy to trust or talk to.

"Who doesn't love pranks?" James asked, his voice holding as much enthusiasm as Sirius's. Draco smirked while Hermione had to work hard to prevent rolling her eye.

"Well, I'll be good with this… but Mi…" Draco told them, disdainfully peeking at Hermione. She glared back at him fiercely, determined to show herself up.

"Hunter, would you like me to remind you what I did to you last year? You know, with the Howler?" Hermione asked sweetly, clearly reliving the moment; as a personal revenge, she had delivered a Howler to Draco that screamed out a few made up, yet rather _interesting_ hobbies. Draco closed his eyes and gulped painfully.

"No, thanks," he replied, an expression of embarrassment on his face.

"That's what I thought," Hermione replied sweetly, grinning at the Marauders.

"Right, here's what we're going to do. Mi, Hunter, you guys are in for a treat; you'll be seeing the master Marauders at work…" Remus went on to explain the prank, one which he had thought of. James and Sirius had the reputation as the masterminds of most pranks, but a fair amount of their more brilliant ideas had come from Remus. His organized nature, logical thinking and resourcefulness always made his pranks memorable.

"So, James has the transfiguring, right?" Sirius asked once Remus was done. Hermione and Draco sat there, laughing heartily; this was going to be good. Remus nodded in answer to Sirius, looking at him strangely, as if Sirius had missed something extremely obvious.

"Of course. James has the actual transfiguration, you should brew up the potion and I'll have to perform the charm. Pete, you're our watch out and as usual, and the excuse is up to you. Alibis included," Remus clarified, as if he were speaking to 5 year olds. Clearly, this was standard procedure, or something. The other 3 Marauders nodded.

"Well, I have some researching to do in the library. Anyone coming with?" he asked, standing up and dusting himself off casually, looking around in hope of company. Draco couldn't help but miss the way James's eyes rested on Hermione for a bit longer than others; this opportunity was too good to miss.__

"Well, Mi that's your cue. After all, it is the _library_," Draco taunted, smirking in Hermione's direction. Hermione glared in his direction, also raising herself.

"Actually, I think I might. It will give me the chance to be away from _you_," she shot back. James grinned happily and out of the corner of her eyes, Hermione saw Sirius give James a subtle wink. Immediately, Hermione felt her cheeks go pink; they thought she was hitting on him. Hitting on her best friend's _father_. Oh God.

"Great, Mi. Let's leave these pricks here, then," James grinned again, charmingly and looked at Sirius as he said 'pricks'. Sirius smirked and turned to the others, waving his hand away at James and Hermione.

"Library, then?" Hermione asked hesitantly. James offered her his arm in a gentleman-like gesture.

"Library it is," James agreed quietly as Hermione accepted his arm. And so was the beginning the slow journey to the Hogwarts Library, where Madam Pince would tell them off for eating, sleeping, talking or even breathing too loudly.

* * *

A bit of a weird chapter, but it was important to show the dueling with Hermione and James. I have my reasons, I promise! Next chapter prank :)

Avadne


	4. Chapter 3: A Recruit

**

* * *

Just Too Tempting**

****

By **Avadne**

****

**Chapter 3: **A Recruit

"Get ready for it," James whispered into Hermione's ear. Hermione grinned at James as the Marauders plus Hermione walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Hurry up, or we'll be too late," Remus sped up his pace and within minutes, they were comfortably seated at the Gryffindor table. Hermione notice that there were only a scatter of about 6 other students and not all of the teachers present; they were early. And judging by how Remus constantly looked at his magical watch, they were early for a reason.

"Eat up while you can," Pete informed them. Without further ado, the four boys dug into their food like pigs. Hermione sighed, but grabbed some bacon and eggs, as well as pumpkin juice and hastily began her breakfast.

"Warming Charms all around, guys," Sirius advised, pausing in his pig out to tap himself and muttering something under his breath. The other Marauders did the same, but Hermione was confused.

"Uh, here," James tapped her lightly too, speaking the incantation. Hermione gave him a questioning look, one he blushed under slightly.

"We kind of decided to change it to real stuff, last minute," he told her sheepishly. Hermione's eyes widened, but she grinned anyway. Spotting Draco enter the hall, she beckoned to him.

"Do a Warming Charm on your self," she told him quickly before he rushed of to sit down, hoping no one important had seen him. There were 2 other students at the Slytherin table, both around 1st or 2nd year, so Draco wasn't too worried. He quickly performed the Warming Charm and dug in.

"3… 2… 1," Sirius recited, grinning excitedly. "Stage 1 is now in action." Hermione looked down on the floor; though there appeared to be no change, Hermione knew there was a very thin, invisible layer of ice that was extremely cold, not to mention slippery. Pete, James, Sirius and Remus all sprouted identical, wicked grins. By now, a fair amount of people were entering the great hall, all slipping over. Including Professor Sprout, who had just dusted herself off and was looking quite embarrassed.

"Stage 2; 3… 2… 1," Pete followed Sirius's lead cheerfully and instantly, the walls, which were now coated with a thin layer of snow. The tables now also had clumps of real, cold snow covering any spare spot. The ceiling was no longer visible through the puffy, snow-like clouds that had appeared promptly, for anyone not under the Warming Charm, the Great Hall suddenly became a lot colder, as if it were at least -3 degrees Celsius.

"Sage 3; 3… 2… 1," Remus counted down. Now, every single edible item had frozen; jugs of pumpkin juice were solid blocks of ice, same with milk. Cereal was covered in snow. Toast was no longer pleasantly warm, but ice-cold. And things like bacon, eggs or pancakes now had a thin layer of frost on them.

"And finally, stage 4; 3… 2… 1," Hermione gasped; although she knew the plan for this morning's prank, knowledge didn't stop it from being amazingly beautiful; every single owl that just flown through to deliver the post had turned a snowy white. Then those owls started molting and losing feathers. As the white feathers fell, each and every one was transfigured into small, delicate snowflakes.

"Wow, this is beautiful," Hermione breathed. All four Marauders smiled at her. She also caught sight of Draco giving them a subtle thumbs-up.

"Ok, I'm all for screwing the alibi; this is great and I refuse to let any one else take credit for our work," Remus announced, standing up. Sirius also stood up, nodding energetically and obviously in agreement with Remus. Both glanced down at James and Pete, who were also nodding. Sirius grinned again, and raised his wand, muttering something incoherent under his breath.

A dazzling bolt of red and gold light sprouted from the tip of Sirius's wand. He waved again, at the remaining feathers that were still falling and instantly, they began moving.

"'Today's morning display was proudly brought to you by the Marauders'?" Hermione asked, reading what the feathers were spelling out.

"YOU FOUR! WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS SCHOOL IS, THE NORTH POLE? I DEMAND THAT THIS BE TAKEN DOWN IMMEDIATELY!" McGonagall had already started yelling, making her way to the Marauders. Although she looked angry and disapproving, Hermione was sure that was a glimmer of admiration and amusement in the older woman's eyes.

"Well, Professor, we really would like to, but unfortunately, this wonderful, ingenious, brilliant, magnificent, ama-" Sirius was cut off suddenly, when Remus elbowed him in the ribs.

"What Sirius here means is that, while we would simply love to take down this fine piece of art, we're afraid we cannot comply," Remus said, a pleasant smile sliding onto his face.

"You see, with our high level of skill, we thought profusely about such creative exhibitions, and we decided that our efforts should not just be mercilessly taken down after one measly day, or worse only a half hour or so…" James had cut in also, like standard routine. Hermione actually had the feeling that even this had been practiced. James gave Pete a subtle look.

"Basically, we've cast a number of special charms to ensure that our 'Winter Wonderland' as it were, to stay up for a whole 3 days," Pete finished proudly. McGonagall glared at him fiercely and he shrank down slightly, but regained composure almost instantly. There was some Gryffindor bravery in him after all them, Hermione mused, observing the scene.

"Detention to the 4 of you," McGonagall said, her voice equivalent to that of the Great Hall. Sirius raised his hand, just about to high-five James, but when he saw McGonagall's face, he subtly lowered it again.

"Yes, ma'am," he said stiffly, saluting her. She gave him an extra glare before sighing and making her way back to her seat. It would have been all good, but in her anger, McGonagall had forgotten the slippery ice on the floor. Only seconds later, she had slipped over quite ungracefully while the whole hall erupted into loud, boisterous laughter.

* * *

After their morning prank, the Marauders were even more pleased with themselves than usual, and this time, it was with reason, of course. On the way to their next lesson, Transfiguration, Hermione discovered a few of their rather unusual hobbies. Detention didn't faze them at all; in fact, all four of the Marauders were competing to get the title of 'Most Detentions While at Hogwarts'. 

"So this is what you do for fun? Get detention?" Hermione asked them in amazement. Four happy nods answered her question as Hermione stared in disbelief. These guys were even worse than Fred and George Weasley, a feat Hermione believed to be impossible.

"See, we're all competing to see who gets the most detentions while at Hogwarts," Pete explained, leaning forward with a smile of anticipation on his round face.

"Remus is on 984, Pete only has 952 and I have 997," James piped in, his brow furrowing in an effort to remember the boys' detention scores.

"And Sirius?" Hermione asked, almost in fear. This had to be a large number; from what she had seen of Sirius, he was the reckless one, the 'bad boy' Marauder that loved pranks more than life itself. No-one could ever match his eagerness; the only one that could even come close was James. Maybe it had something to do with Sirius's hyper personality…?

"I have 1013. Apparently, the first person ever to reach four digits," Sirius told her very proudly. Hermione rolled her eyes; Sirius and immature seemed to go together like kids and candy. _Figures that he would have the most, _Hermione thought to herself as she watched Sirius look around slyly, even now ready for a prank opportunity.

"If you think they're immature now, wait until something big happens, like Halloween," Pete warned. At the mention of Halloween, Sirius and James both lifted their heads simultaneously, a pair of hazel eyes lighting up just as much as grey eyes. Remus faked a sigh while Pete clapped a pudgy hand over his mouth in mock-terror at Sirius and James's gestures.

"No, guys, not Halloween prank this year," Remus reminded them as if it were obvious. All three other Marauders looked confused and Remus sighed again.

"Why ever not, Remmie?" Sirius asked, looking shocked and appalled.

"1, my name isn't Remmie. Call me that again and you might find that a few chosen candidates from the Hogwarts female population suddenly discover a few things I'm sure you'd rather keep private. And number 2, have you guys forgotten about the event of this year?"

"What event?" Pete asked, clueless. Remus sighed and shook his head disgustedly.

"I cannot believe this. It's been settled since last year. Pre-Christmas, 6th and 7th years…" Remus hinted while the others thought hard.

"Oh! Damn, I can't believe that slipped my mind," Sirius was the first to remember. A second later, James and Pete also got dawning looks of comprehension and high-fived each other.

"Are you going to tell me what this is?" Hermione asked curiously as all he Marauders looked excited again.

"Nope, my dear. Sorry, but you'll have to wait," James replied charmingly, grinning as Hermione mock-glared. She sighed again but grinned, knowing whatever it was going to be, it would be good.

"Quickly, now! Take a seat and 5 points each for tardiness," McGonagall's tight voice sounded as the group walked inside their classroom.

"Today, we'll be doing a special type of Transfiguration, that we'll touch on briefly for now, and return to focus on closer to Christmas time…"

* * *

Draco was currently in his dormitory for the evening, lying down on his bed with the curtains drawn in hope of privacy. No such luck, apparently, for only a few minutes after he had settled down, someone saw it fit to interrupt. 

"You better be careful about the choices you make and the people you piss off," a low, silky voice whispered to him. A very familiar, low, silky whisper, as it was.

"Why won't you people just leave me alone?" Draco groaned back impatiently, knowing very well what was about to happen and not welcoming it at all.

"Tsk, tsk. That's the exact attitude I'm talking about," the voice continued. Draco groaned again, but lifted himself up and pulled away the curtains to meet the face of Severus Snape.

"What do you want?" Draco asked, desperate to get some alone time from the others. The others meaning, of course, Slytherin house as a whole. Draco was beginning to see why it had such a bad reputation, especially in this era.

"Don't talk, just listen; what you do is your business, just like the choices you make are your own problem. But I would advise you to keep a neutral face near the others… the worst thing you can do, other than being a coward, is going against the source," Snape kept his voice empty and hollow, his face as a blank mask and his black eyes hidden by curtains, not revealing anything else but the information he chose to divulge.

"What freaking source are you on about?" muttered Draco, not really caring and wanting to get away from Snape as fast as possible. _Leave me alone!_ He screamed inside. Of course Draco knew what the source was, but he had hoped that Snape would just give up again. Unfortunately, today didn't seem to be Draco's lucky day.

"You will know. You are the latest recruit," and with that, Snape swept out of the room, his black robes billowing behind him. Draco had seen this in his future, grown Professor, but was impressed that Snape had mastered the art of flowing robes at only 17, or probably even earlier for all Draco knew.

Unfortunately, the average Hogwarts-Death-Eater-recruitment age had decreased throughout the years and Draco had gotten this talk from Father last year. He knew exactly what Snape was talking about in too much detail for his own liking; so far, Draco had not risen to the challenge of his 'housemates', including Snape, Lestrange, Wilkes and Nott… they were all Death Eaters or in training and Draco knew it. His loyalties were being questioned, but Voldemort was getting constant updates. The latest recruit had been struck at Draco again.

"The latest bloody recruit, am I? Well Voldemort can shove this recruitment shit up his own ass for all I care," Draco mumbled to himself before falling back onto his bed and drawing the curtains once again. Damn Snape for reminding him of the newest disaster that Draco Malfoy had to face. First it was time-travel, now it was the initiation into the Death Eaters. _Do I never get a break from all this shit? _Draco mused to himself.

Draco knew he was in for it. Yes, he had seen Voldemort in this kind of situation before. In fact, all of this brought on a distinct feeling of déjà vu which Draco was most certainly not enjoying. Draco knew that faithful Rabastan Lestrange and his crew of wannabe Death Eaters were most likely at this minute reporting to Voldemort; Snape knew also. Draco was the latest recruit… for becoming a Death Eater, something that no longer appealed to him. Once, it would have been a dream come true; but that was his father's influence.

While Draco knew all about the dangers of becoming a Death Eater, he also knew the dangers of not becoming a Death Eater; once you were on Voldemort's list, you didn't come off until you joined or were _taken care of_. Snape knew this as much as Draco did, which was definitely the reason for his advice to Draco. Keep a neutral face on, don't show it if you're going against the source. Frankly, Draco was just surprised that Snape was being civil towards him; along with Lestrange, Snape was the ring-leader. Something to muse on, Draco thought before turning around in his bed again, ready for sleep.

* * *

End of chapter 3. 

Slight changes to chapters 1 & 2, noting major. I've cut Hermione's name down from Mia to just Mi. It's easier to explain that way.

I always thought the Marauders would do something incredibly immature yet funny like record detentions. Sorry if people disagree with the scores, but this is how it struck me; Sirius at the top, James not far behind, then Remus and finally Pete.

Oh yeah, the line "Don't talk, just listen" isn't mine… it comes from the movie _Swordfish_. Just felt like slipping it in there.

More on Draco's situation is in the upcoming interlude, but the _real_ explanation is going to be around chapter 6. Also, my buddy anniePADFOOT let me borrow a piece she, called _A Bunch of Snakes_. It's for her one-shot collection, _Only A Feeling_ to do with Slytherin. It has some relevance and I'd recommend reading it. It will eventually be found under her name in _Only A Feeling?_ and I'll probably post it under my name too, as a one-shot. Keep an eye out for it.

Review! Thanks to you who have... hold on quick reply to 2...

**s.s.harry:** you've reviewed every single chapter… dozens & dozens of dead roses for you! Your reviews bring a smile to my face (they're always so entertaining )

**Aeris-Sama:** thanks for the compliments. Good to know there are people out there enjoying my stuff. I actually like stories that involve original characters as main ones. I've just discovered that you have loads of stuff based around Laini.... so I'm off to read that. Thanks

Avadne


	5. Interlude 1: Comfort

**Just Too Tempting**

****

By **Avadne**

****

**Interlude 1:** Comfort****

(A/N: Interlude 1: Comfort is here! Basically, a series of 260 word thought process pieces, all connected and in specific POV. It's pretty clear which piece belongs to who)

_Her green eyes haunt me throughout the day, like almond shaped jewels piercing through me and my soul, seeing everything I try to hide. She doesn't even realize it, but her eyes will haunt me for ever. I can't even begin to describe them, their perfect colour, shape and depth. Their dazzling sparkle is so full of life, and it shows me a life that I have never known and probably never will._

_Her dark red hair is like a deep garnet, curled elegantly at the tips. How I wish I could hold her small frame, running my hands through her elegant curls. She is a jewel in every way; her eyes are like emeralds. Her hair is a garnet. Her skin is a pearl. She is definitely a jewel, and a precious one at that._

I know I could never have Lily; it's just not right. And I can accept that it will never happen. Such a magnificent beauty like her doesn't belong with me. So I can deal with her not being mine. But if someone else was to have her… I don't know what I may be forced to do.

_One look from her, one smile, even if it isn't aimed at me, can soothe all of my fears. The sound of her voice can mesmerize me into a complete comfort zone, where I have nothing to worry about. Where I can fantasize about the impossible actually happening. Where I can see myself leading a happier life, a life full of love from the one I want. _

* * *

_Trying so hard to keep it in check, my life is and will be forever a nightmare. I am cursed, but I don't know why. Why was it me that had to receive that fateful bite, the bite that changed my entire life before it had really begun? Why wasn't it someone else's child?_

_While I am this way, forever, I will always fear it. Fear that I can pass this on, that I can lose control. I no longer care for rejection; if people don't accept me, it's their problem. But I will always fear the killing of a human being. Because that's what it is; dying. A calm mask hiding the terror, silently standing while I scream inside. _

I used to sit outside our house under the moon and just watch it. At my young age, I was too small to truly understand what it was, but I could still appreciate the beauty. Once, I loved it; such a beautiful sight. The night was cool yet clear, with stars sprinkled across the midnight sky. And there it was; a large, glowing orb that used to be the source of comfort.

_A source of comfort; it hasn't been that for me since I was 5. And it never will be again, because even if the impossible happens and I am one day cured, I will never forget everything I endured on those nights. My comfort will have to come from something else, something more hauntingly beautiful and soothing, yet deadly to those with a curse, a curse like me._

* * *

_On one hand, she's there; the one that I've 'loved' since 5th year. The one that I always wanted, but never got and the one I had to try and change for. I know her; I can read her like an open book now, this classical beauty, with her emerald eyes and elegant hair. She's my opposite, the strict one that would love me if the rule of 'opposites attract' was entirely reliable. But it may not be, so I don't know. _

_But then, in a different light, there's someone else. And for her, it's different. I didn't change to fall for her, to get her to fall for me. She's a mystery to me, because I know she's hiding something that's begging to be brought to the surface. But it has to stay hidden, for now. She intrigues me with her natural beauty, uptight maturity and easy grace. _

Fabulous; ever since Mi came here, my heart is now torn. Being pulled into two different directions isn't easy, I assure you. Who do you pick? The one you've liked forever, strict and obedient, but you could surely loosen her up. Or do you go for the new girl, the one that just arrived and is still a mystery.

_Where's my comfort in all of this? What's going to help me decide what my heart really wants? My heart already knows, actually. But my brain cannot figure it out and let me know, so I am lost. I'm lost and my comfort will only come in waiting and understanding them better. _

* * *

_It feels a bit odd, with her and even odder with him, when both are new to our group. Especially since he's a Slytherin, while we are all Gryffindor, because we have always been a tight group, and to let in someone new is a pretty big thing. The whole school knows it; we are famous, after all. But I am still scared, scared that in our final year, everything will fall apart._

_I always knew that if something was too good to be true, than it was either not true or not going to last. So I'm ready in that way, but if it happens, I will still feel a pain that is going to be more than anything else; more than hating Mother, more than running away, more than being disowned. _

In some strange way, I am sacred. I am scared that she will rip us apart. He, not so much, but she; Hermione could break us. And that's my greatest fear, because the Marauders are my only family now. So if I lose them, I won't have anyone or anything else to live for.

_My fears are somewhat comforted because I suppose that they aren't a part of _us_ in the way that we are Marauders, we are animgai. And by the fact that no girl has ever ripped us apart, not even the redhead bombshell my best friend liked for so long. That's where I'm thankful; because from day one, I knew she was all wrong for him. I saw what he was too blind to._

* * *

_I cannot believe this; we're in the future. What possessed that idiot to pull him and me through the 'Pensive'? Model Head Boy behavior, I'm sure. If he hadn't done such a foolish, immature deed, we would be back, I would be with my friends and family and everything would be normal. But he did do it, so it's not all normal and it will never again be normal._

_I know I'm not as mad as I make out to be. Actually, it's fascinating here. He is in a different house, but we see each other plenty. We've both been introduced to the Marauders, which is absolutely amazing. They are everything I expected, but so different to what I imagined._

Yes, I'll admit it. While I have my pride, this is something I can say. I am very glad that Draco is here with me. I'm so thankful that I'm not here alone… I wouldn't know what to do, where to go. But he helps me without even realizing, when I'm forced to keep him in check. When I have to restrain him, he does the same with me, too. He helps me stay in control.

_I'll take a very small bit of comfort in knowing that here, I'm not alone. Although he is not my first choice, or even my second, he is much better than nothing. Maybe I'll tell him one day; if we ever get back to the future, I'll tell him then, on that day. And if we don't, a scary thought, I'll tell him anyway._

* * *

_The consequences of these actions are dire. It's a cause and effect that I am not eager to face, one that I will never want. Whichever way I pick, I'm screwed. She knows, Hermione does; she will know what is going on, before I even speak a word. I have a bigger problem with _thegroup_. At the moment, I need all the friends I can get._

_Why was it me? Why was I the one born into a rich, Pureblood family full of idealistic rules? Why couldn't I have been the muggle-born that was clueless, but still got to grow into my magic? But no, it had to be me, growing up with a childhood I do not care to remember, a father I do not want to think about. And now it is me that is in the dark house, engaged in a battle of belief._

While Snape gave me some useful advice, he is still a current enemy and probably an even bigger threat than Lestrange. Lestrange doesn't think. Well, he thinks, but not to such a deep extent that I know Snape is capable of. Lestrange will try to scare me with empty threats. Snape, on the other hand, _will_ scare me with not-so-empty ones.

_The only thing that I can take a slight bit of comfort in is that I'm not completely alone. She is here with me and hell, she wasn't exactly on the top 5 list, but I know she will help me if I need it. And I'll need it very soon._

* * *

**End Interlude 1**

There's going to be Interludes like this once every while. I think I have about 4 planned, or so. They just show random facts and feelings of the main characters. Yes, there will be major plot points here, reasons behind reasons, cause and effect, so they are pretty important

I know these are shorter than normal chapters, but it's designed that way. And no, I won't tell which thoughts are who's. You'll have to guess; choose out of Hermione, Draco and MWPP, but it's pretty easy to know anyway.

There will be a few Interludes like this in the story… each time featuring Hermione's, Draco's and MWPP's thoughts. This one was based around comfort, while the next could be anything…

Thanks to spychick989 (don't worry, Draco will also be having fun!) & s.s.harry (big thanks to you, my faithful reviewer).

Avadne


	6. Chapter 5: A Familiar

**Just Too Tempting**

****

By **Avadne**

****

**Chapter 5:** A Familiar

(A/N: Concerning later in the chapter: **Bold **written notes are from Remus. _Italic_ are from Sirius. Underlined are Hermione's. Hermione ends hers with –M, because they know her only as Mi)__

"For God's sake, who gets up this early?" Hermione mumbled to herself. Usually an early riser, Hermione was beat from yesterday's excitement filled day. Not expecting an answer to her speculative question, she was a bit surprised when Lily replied.

"Unfortunately for us, Hogwarts does. You better get down to breakfast," she told Hermione, smiling warmly, before sweeping out of the room. Hermione sighed, but made her way down quickly after Lily. Entering the Great Hall, she quickly took a seat at the table and hastily grabbed some toast and spread marmalade over it.

"What do we have first?" Sirius asked cheerfully as the Marauders took the seats around Hermione. Sirius was always hyper-cheerful; a bit _too_ hyper-cheerful for someone who hardly sleeps, is energetic all day and has a hard time getting out of bed. But once up and showered, it was impossible to keep him calm.

"You, Mi and I have Arithmancy. Pete and James, you've got Divination," Remus replied, obviously the person to rely on for timetable stuff.

"I _should_ know this; being Head Boy and all… maybe I'll make an effort next time," James mused out loud. Sirius burst out laughing at the clearly ludicrous statement. Remus and Pete both smirked while Hermione watched on in amusement. James made a big fuss of hitting himself over the head in a _what-was-I-thinking _gesture while the table laughed.

A few minutes later, Hermione, Remus and Sirius all stood up and began walking to Arithmancy. The three took seats next to each other and got ready for the lesson, which was simple N.E.W.T revision. Hermione was staring out of the window, distracted, when writing began to appear on her blank 'notes' parchment.

_Bet you you're wishing you never moved to Hogwarts for real lessons; home-schooling would have been a skive-off. You could do whatever, fake sickness so much easier and basically just sit around… eating or something. You have no idea how good you had it, do you? –S_

**No way… could anyone not love such fun and exciting lessons? –R**

_You can't pull of sarcasm on paper, Remus –S_

**Well, I try anyway. Besides, what a way to explain, Sirius! Poor Mi, you must be so confused. If you have anything to say, just write it down, it will get transferred to our parchments. Handy little spell, that one…. –R**

So this is why you never get caught passing notes then? –M

**_Our secret success… or one of many… –R and S_**

You guys both just wrote that in sync… It was planned, wasn't it? –M

**_Of course not, Mi._****_ How could you think so lowly of us? –R and S_**

Not only was Hermione deeply fascinated that Sirius and Remus could both practically read each other's minds, as proved above, when they said the same thing at the same time twice, but she was also captivated with the tactics of the Marauders; if they didn't want to get caught, they wouldn't. They had every trick in the book down to pat. The rest of the Arithmancy lesson was spent ignoring their Professor while Sirius, Remus and Hermione communicated easily, unbeknown to the other occupants of the class.

When the bell went, Hermione tucked the note paper into her bag, wanting to keep it as a memory and got up. She, Remus and Sirius all walked out of the door to see James and Pete waiting outside. Next lesson happened to be Potions with the Ravenclaws and no-one was eager to get there. Obviously, Pete and James didn't mind the _slight_ detour to meet their friends in Arithmancy.

The group of five all started walking at an incredibly slow pace towards their DADA classroom; Professor Borealis was not known for her kindness… favouritism, yes and generally disgusting students also. But not kindness. Hermione had gone from despising the obvious unfairness of Snape's class to being disgusted with Borealis and her blatant dislike and unfairness towards Gryffindors in particular, being Head of Slytherin. So the group took their time, making their way around corners and turns. One particular hallway stood out…

* * *

"Filthy muggle-lover," sneered one of the thugs, just as the Marauders and Hermione had turned the corner. Immediately alert, all 5 snapped out their wands and carefully crept forward, not being noticed just yet.

"Your family is so poor that not only do you live in a bin, your pet is a cockroach too," one of the others put in, looking supremely pleased with himself at what he thought was a witty remark. Sirius recognized him as a Lestrange; dear Trixie must have married his brother.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Hermione charged forward, her Gryffindor bravery kicking in. Four Slytherins turned around to see who had interrupted their fun. When they saw the five-some, all eyes narrowed.

"Why don't you make me, you Mudblood?" taunted Lestrange. James's head snapped up angrily and he took 3 large steps forward, standing himself about half a meter from Lestrange. Sirius also stepped forward and Remus was the one that had the duty of grabbing one of each of their arms in order to keep them back.

"Don't you dare talk to her like that, you piece of scum," James whispered dangerously. Sirius looked as though he wanted nothing more than to punch Lestrange in the head. Meanwhile, the distraction had allowed Pete to take away the target of Slytherin torture away; a smaller boy with bright red hair that looked strangely familiar to Hermione. He had led the small boy to a corner and was talking to him soothingly.

"_Expelliaramus_," Remus muttered ever so casually, flicking his wand in the direction of Lestrange's back-up team. 3 wands flew over to Remus, who had temporarily let go of James to catch them all, one handed. The Slytherins were now disarmed and looked rather dumbfound.

"_Stupefy_," a jet of light streamed out of Sirius's wand and one of the thugs just wasn't fast enough with their ducking. The spell graved his head and instantly, he was out cold. James and Lestrange were rather preoccupied; they were both trying to stare the other down, a battle of wills, as it were. No wands or hands… yet.

"I suggest you get out of here before I actually hurt you… or better yet, your Mudblood friend," Lestrange sneered nastily. James made an impulsive movement with his hand, but stopped it just in time.

"_Impedimenta_," Hermione whispered from where she stood; the last remaining thug had gone down, after Remus blasted the other one off his feet and into the wall.

"What now, big guy? Too scared to hit me?" Lestrange continued taunting James, whose jaw was set very tightly. Just for kicks, Lestrange turned to Hermione, gave her a wink and licked his lips. That was the final straw; any last bit of self-control had now disappeared from James. He socked Lestrange in the jaw hard, then again in the gut. Lestrange was keeling down in pain, but James was not done. He kneed the Slytherin and spat on him. Lestrange reached for his wand again, but James kicked it out of the way swiftly. He was about to do more damage when Remus grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear. But that didn't stop Sirius, who sent a bolt of light at Lestrange that sent him running down the hallway, being chased by creepy, winged bats. James was still looking murderous, and Hermione noted, that in the corner, Pete and the little boy were also looking quite worried.

"Hi, I'm Mi Hooper. What's your name?" Hermione said sweetly to the young boy; he couldn't be over 1st year. There was a sense of déjà vu on him that made Hermione sure she knew him from the future. It clicked just before he answered.

"Bill Weasley. Thanks for helping me…" he answered quietly, looking around in fear of more Slytherins. Hermione smiled; yes, the resemblance was there, but Bill wasn't the tall, good-looking guy with a fanged earring and dragon-hide boots, but a young Hogwarts student. He was still tall for his age, but next to James, he looked like a shrimp. His bright blue eyes shined with inquisition beneath somewhat long, red hair that fell forward.

"I'm Sirius Black, that's James Potter and Remus Lupin," Sirius put in, grinning widely. Nothing could make him happier than putting a Slytherin in his place. Remus gave Bill a friendly wave and James forced a grin, although the darkness in his hazel eyes remained. Hermione walked up to James and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't have to… but thank you," she whispered quietly. Aware that everyone was watching her move, she smiled at James again, and walked back to Bill.

"How about we take you back to the Common Room, then? You're a Gryffindor, right?" Remus suggested, his amber eyes sparkling. Bill nodded in agreement and began walking next to Remus.

* * *

Bill had walked back with the Marauders and Hermione to the Common Room, where Hermione took some time to talk to him about general life; friends, family… Charlie was already born, as was Percy, and the twins were on their way. Bill had then claimed he needed to go and get some stuff from his dormitory, so Hermione had let him go and instead, sat down with the rest of the Marauders. They were now all lazily spread out on arm chairs, couches or the floor in front of a merrily cackling fire. Hermione was just dying to ask the question that had been eating away at her since the hallway incident.

"So, who were they?" she asked, not able to hide her curiosity any longer. Sirius grimaced, as if remembering bad memories that were only related to him and the Slytherins in question.

"The main one was Rabastan Lestrange; my cousin, Bellatrix is married to his brother. They're all Death Eaters, or on their way. The others were Evan Rosier, Ruark Nott and Mario Wilkes. Surprisingly, Snivellus wasn't there…"

"Snivellus?" Hermione asked in pretend curiously. Of course, she knew who they were referring to; Severus Snape, future Potions master and Harry's greatest fan… or not. There was a very small improvement in his general behavior in 6th year, but he still loathed Harry, Ron and Hermione as much as ever. Some things would just never change, Hermione suspected.

"Greasy, slimeball of a Slytherin, over his head in the Dark Arts. He's the other ring-leader of their gang, but doesn't usually participate in the actual dirty work. He just gives out the orders, I think. Managed to slip out of blame… but of course, the grease must make it easy. Trust me, you can't miss him; just look for the foulest head of black hair and that's our Snivelly," Remus explained to Hermione.

"Yeah, we gave him that name ages ago, but he's actually called Severus Snape. Don't call him that… Sirius makes it his duty to send him shampoo and conditioner every year after we discovered his birthday is on 17th November," James added. Sirius grinned, reminiscing about good times.

"It's only about one and a half months away now. Final year… better add in some mouth wash too. Maybe soap; the last one does have to be special, you know," his face held a dreamy look as he imagined the possibilities.

"So this Snivellus… future Death Eater?" Hermione asked as casually as she could manage. Four much emphasized nods conformed her thoughts easily.

"Speaking of which, I think we're due for another prank soon. Or _some_ type of activity; Hogwarts is getting boring, and this year is the final year for our legacy," Remus reminded the others.

Hermione had always thought Remus to be the calm, reserved one. But in fact, he was just as mischievous as the others, only more skilled in not getting caught. His quick wit and sarcastic remarks caused amusement for Hermione constantly; no one could beat him at such dry humor that held the others in check by some magical way. This was a very different Remus, one you couldn't help but like. He was calm, but eager to mess around, like the others. There was just something about his sparkling amber eyes, hair falling forward onto his fairly tanned and friendly face that made Hermione admire him.

James and Sirius… well, they were just what Hermione expected; Sirius was hyper-cheerful all the time, incredibly charming, handsome and the type of person that never looked foolish, even as girls _threw_ themselves at him. He also had a graceful elegance that came naturally to him; it was seen in the way he held himself, the way his black hair fell into his luminous eyes, the way he grinned or spoke. It was quite interesting watching him like that, always looking composed.

James was the Quidditch star, only just a bit more mature than Sirius, but honest and almost magnetic to everyone; or maybe just Hermione, who could not stay away. Not to mention just as good looking as Sirius, with captivating hazel eyes that could see through anything and reflect everything. He also had the messy black hair that contrasted starkly with ivory skin and an infectious grin that Hermione had only seen leave his face in the direst situations.

Peter was a surprise, too. He had some bravery in him after all, it just needed to be coaxed out; he seemed like a good, loyal friend at the moment and Hermione had to wonder what had suddenly happened that changed Pete into a traitor. He was the quiet one, a bit nervous and fidgety, not as confident or good-looking with his slightly pudgy frame and watery eyes.

Hermione didn't want to admit it, but she was having too much of a fun time here to go back. _This could cause some problems,_ Hermione mused.

Some very _big_ problems…

* * *

**End chapter 5.**

I don't think I got the Weasley family ages right. Yes, Bill was in Hogwarts with the Marauders, but he would have been younger. I don't know how much by exactly. But at least 11, so Charlie would have been born too, I think. And Percy, presumably. Don't know about the twins, so I just guessed. Sorry if it's wrong.

With this chapter, I also posted under my name, A Bunch of Snakes, which was written by my best friend anniePADFOOT. It's a bit of a companion piece to this, and also posted under her name in _Only A Feeling?._

**Nissy Padfoot  
**News for you… I don't want to ruin the ending, but this is NOT the usual time-turner, Hermione-goes-back-to-her-normal-life-afterwards story. If you love something different, as you said in your review, this is it! Thanks very much for reviewing… yes, I found your story and it was really interesting. Unusual, and original. Thanks a lot

****

**Kris-tina4  
**I've heard all about you. Annie, of course, cannot shut up if her life depends on it so I know about all of her net friends. I'm often found reading your stories over her shoulder, and I'll say it now, they are great. Yes, I've read Holly Marsh's work… I agree, it's excellent, although I've taken down my list for now, I've still got it on my computer. Thanks for giving me your thoughts and also for pointing out 2 errors in the last chapter. They've been changed.

**spychick989  
**Yes, it's quite clear whose thoughts are whose, but I didn't want to make it too hard. Oh well, once you know which thoughts are who's in one Interlude, the order always stays the same. Thank you for taking the time to make me feel loved and special.

**s.s.harry  
**Thanks again for continuously reviewing. You rock! I present to you more dead roses… in fact, I'll throw in a few _live_ ones this time winks and maybe even a cookie or something. Thank you again

Review! Don't hesitate to ask me to check out your work too!

****

**Avadne**


	7. Chapter 6: A Procedural

**Just Too Tempting**

****

By **Avadne**

****

**Chapter 6: **A Procedural****

(A/N: A Draco-centric chapter. This explains a lot of things subtly, so watch out for the little things. Enjoy)

It had been just over a month since the arrival of two new students. In which 2 full moons had already passed without much incident. But it wouldn't last. The Marauders were standing in a rather isolated and empty hallway, talking in low voices about the next full moon and their next, great adventure that came with it. Well, James and Sirius were. Remus was dreading it, as usual; dreading the pain, the fear of a slip up, the aftermath… and Pete was also dreading it, again, what if there was a slip-up? It was dangerous really, what they were doing. Pete had been hesitant form the very start and that had not changed.

"When is it?" Pete asked in a hushed whisper, looking at Remus nervously. James and Sirius kept turning around in case anyone crept up and overheard something important.

"25th… Friday," Remus replied automatically, his face passive and blank. November's full moon fell on a Friday. They had already managed to keep Mi and Draco away with excuses for October's full moon, but they would get suspicious soon and Remus knew it.

"What about it?" Draco asked cheerfully, suddenly walking out of the classroom the Marauders had been standing close to. Both James and Sirius did a double-take; had they really been that careless?

"Oh... er, nothing, but James has a Heads meeting, Pete and I have detention in Transfiguration and Remus is visiting his sick grandmother," Sirius offered offhandedly, trying to make the story seem plausible.

Draco was doing some very quick thinking; there was no way in hell that story was true. Sirius had just been a bit _too_ casual about it, and about the stories for it to actually be true. Draco would definitely check it out after he left, perhaps ask Hermione or something. For now, though, Draco only eyed the boys warily, clearly in disbelief of their tale.

"If you say so," he drawled out lazily, noticing that while Pete's eyes showed anxiety, Remus's showed guilt and embarrassment. Both James and Sirius looked angry, but defeated.

"Remus and I have Quidditch practice. See you," James said quickly, leaving with Remus. Pete and Sirius followed them too. Draco left the classroom also, waving slightly in search of Hermione.

He didn't have to look long. In the next corridor, they bumped into each other clumsily. Hermione dropped all her books, which Draco bent down to help retrieve.

"Would you please watch we're you're going?" she said angrily, but Draco shook his head, symbolizing that now was not the time. Immediately, Hermione's forehead creased into a frown. Draco got straight to the point.

"All of the Marauders are _conveniently_ going to be out on the 25th. James has a 'Heads meeting'. Sirius and Pete got 'detention in Transfiguration' and Remus is going to 'visit his sick grandmother'. Or so I heard. When is the full moon?"

"It would have been… but, no. The lunar stages are different and change through 20 years. It's got to be the 25th,"

"Remus will transform. Keep out of their way. I'm going to study," Draco said before sweeping out of the room. In a very Malfoy like fashion, Hermione realized.

* * *

_I'm going to study_… yeah, right. Draco had much more important things to do. Like figure out what the hell to do with the Voldemort fiasco, the one that Hermione still didn't know about. Thankfully, in Draco's opinion, for she would make a huge fuss and insist on helping. Right now, her help was definitely _not_ needed. Draco needed to think, to act on his own. For now.

Draco dropped onto his bed; he had been doing this a lot lately, hiding out with the curtains drawn. _It's going to be soon_, he thought to himself. The first showdown was not far away and Draco knew it. He knew what to expect; questioning, the recruitment and conformation. He had led these things in the past… or future? He _would_ be prepared.

"You are wanted in the Common Room… there's a meeting with _Them_ on your schedule," a low, empty voice said from the doorway. Draco twisted around to see a boy that couldn't be over 4th year. _That's low… getting kids to do their dirty work?_ Draco thought in surprise. A 20 year gap changed many things; yes, _They_ were still around in 1998. Actually, Draco had been one of the higher members, if not the top. But the inclusion of anyone below 5th year was against the rules.

The young teen stepped out of the dorm quickly and Draco stood up reluctantly. _Great; I haven't even had a chance to think yet,_ he thought to himself, slowly making his way down the stairs. His eyes were greeted by a somewhat familiar scene, a scene that he had been in the centre of many times.

The Common Room was empty, except for _Them_… Severus Snape, Rabastan Lestrange, Mario Wilkes and Ruark Nott were all there, assuming the main leader positions. But they were prepared, protected; Snape and Lestrange were 7th years, but the others were 6th. The remaining 6th and 7th years were _guards_, currently positioned around the room, ready for an ambush.

"Take a seat," Lestrange commanded. He and Snape were seated on higher chairs, with their right-hand men, Nott and Wilkes, on either side.

"I'd rather stand," Draco replied coolly. He knew how it was; even the most innocent offer held meaning; that wasn't a polite request, it was a challenge of wills. Lestrange sent him a heavy scowl, like his 2 young henchmen, but Snape's face remained impassive.

"Fine. We have brought you here to discuss… business that involves you directly, as well as the Procedural Admittance that all students must pass on entrance to 6th year. Since you have not yet passed, your fate remains in _our_ hands," Snape took over, his voice silky yet hollow, except at the end, where a note of emphasis had entered. Draco knew what message he was conveying.

"Leave!" barked Nott to the guards. All 5 top guards left the room wordlessly; it was just Draco and _Them_ now and Draco was _not_ looking forward to it.

"Now… let us begin. The Spell," Lestrange snarled. Wilkes fumbled around for a second before producing his wand. He headed over to tap Draco on top of his head.

"Truth Spell; no lies," he explained gruffly. Snape gave Draco a Look as he opened his mouth in protest. Draco calmed himself and masked his face once more, but his stomach was churning. The use of Truth Spells wasn't registered in the future… Draco couldn't lie.

"One tap is enough," reminded Snape softly and Lestrange blushed slightly. He lurched forward and gave one small tap and at once, Draco's head fuzzed out slightly. He used every bit of Occlumency training his father had forced on him at this moment, fighting to keep control over his mouth and mind. The fuzzy feeling lessened ever so slightly, but did not disappear.

"Name," Snape requested.

"Hunter… Brown," Draco stuttered out. He knew the trick to these spells; they hadn't been specific enough. Simply asking for his name, Draco could take it however he wanted. _What is your given name_ would have gotten a different response.

"Lineage,"

"Pure," this time, Draco said it immediately, clearly. His heritage was pure to the finest detail.

"Where do your loyalties lie?" it was Lestrange questioning this time.

"To me, to my house and my beliefs," Draco answered without hesitation. He _was_ loyal to Slytherin, just not to Voldemort.

"Have you lied?"

"Lying is not possible under the spell's effect,"

"No! Have you lied _while at Hogwarts_?"

"Of course… I am a Slytherin after all," Draco bit out, smirking.

"What are you doing here?" Lestrange hissed out venomously.

"Enough. You are not permitted to ask questions that weren't previously discussed and decided on," Snape cut in coldly before Draco could speak. He got out a bottle of antidote and roughly spilled a drop into Draco's moth. The fuzziness lifted and Draco mentally congratulated himself for the answers he had come up with. 

"But the remaining questio-" Lestrange began to protest, but Snape looked at him and he stopped talking immediately.

"Silence. I will finish this off; you have stopped your chance. The other questions will remain unanswered.

"Brown, your loyalty in this does not matter; you are the latest recruit and from my knowledge, you will join, like everyone. It isn't wise to cross paths with the Dark Lord. He has chosen you. We expect a confirmation in 14 days. Meeting adjourned." Snape looked directly at Draco before stepping down from his chair and stalking off, robes billowing as usual.

"I'm watching you, _Brown_," Lestrange spat the name like it was dirt. "I will get my answers."

Draco looked at him scornfully, implying to Lestrange that Draco held no fear, only boredom. But instead, Draco knew he was up shit creek, and deep. But he did smirk to himself; Lestrange, the great oaf, had screwed up his chance to get the truth out of Draco. _What an idiot,_ Draco thought with glee.

* * *

"So, what do the mighty Marauders have planned for this week?" Hermione asked as James and Remus came into the otherwise nearly empty Common Room. The only other people were a threesome of first years in the other corner. Remus smirked and waved to Hermione, but kept walking upstairs. James, however, stopped and sat down.

"Well, well, well… wouldn't you like to know?" James replied cheekily, winking at Hermione. Hermione on the other hand, rolled her eyes, but grinned.

"What, no Quidditch practice or detentions? Heads meeting? Anything?" Hermione was carefully baiting for an answer, wanting to hear James's excuses for the full moon period, Tuesday.

"Just had Quidditch. But now that you mention it… I have a Head's meeting on Friday while Pete and Sirius got detention with McGonagall," James replied, casting a look out the window then one over his shoulder towards the portrait hole.

"Transfig? I don't recall that…" Hermione bit her lip and trailed of, lowering her eyes and sneaking a look at James from underneath her lashes.

"Oh yeah, for once, McGonagall didn't make a public scene… she just handed them their slips with their papers," James explained uncomfortably.

"Well, then… I guess I'll have a quiet night with Remus?" Hermione murmured, just loudly enough for James to catch.

"Actually, Remus is visiting his sick grandma…," James offered, seemingly casual. Hermione smirked; he was good. But both she and Draco knew the Marauders were lying.

"Oh, so no knight in shining armor to warm me up on the cold, cold, Friday night then? I may have to sink as low as Hunter," Hermione asked playfully, deliberately shivering and wrapping her arms around herself in mock-coldness.

"For _that_, I would miss any Heads meeting," James replied, smirking. He laughed jokingly and Hermione joined in at their own silly tactics; something about James brought out her… playful side, she supposed. It surprised her how much he could do that and how little it took for him; a simple smile or question and Hermione a giddy, humorous teen instead of the woman she had to become over the past few years. It was a great feeling; those years of friendship with Ron and Harry were amazing, but they took away any child-ness Hermione had left. Now James was brining it back.

"Hi, guys!" an energetic voice yelled out happily. Only Sirius.

"Hey Sirius," both Hermione and James chorused simultaneously, laughing slightly. Sirius wore a grin on his face, which was not unusual. But he looked especially pleased with himself today.

"Guess what? I have a date," he told them cheerfully, not waiting for a guess. James rolled his eyes in boredom.

"What, your 4th this week? I've lost count," James said tiredly. "You're a bloody man slut, Sirius."

"Live while you can, Jaime. Live while you can," Sirius told him, shaking his head in 'shame' at James. "Go on dates, break hearts, take a risk, play a prank…"

"A day in the life of Sirius Black, huh?" Hermione put in, already feeling sorry for the poor girl that was going out with Sirius. Sure, Sirius was a great guy; he was funny, charming and very charismatic. But he was also arrogant, almost _too_ cheerful and… well, as James put it, a man slut; he had, so far, had more dates than the all the 7th year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs put together.

"You say it like I fuck and chuck every girl I meet," Sirius said, slightly hurt.

"Do you?"

"NO! I'm a perfect gentleman all the way… all the girls know what's going to happen. I never force anyone into _anything_, thanks very much," Sirius retorted proudly. Hermione only shook her head; Sirius was a man of surprises.

"Well, Sirius; I have to say, I'm proud of you. You're not a _complete_ womanizer," Hermione said to him, grinning.

"Thanks… now, I think I'll just leave you two lovebirds to your flirting, eh?" he replied. With a maniacal grin, he was gone before James or Hermione had the chance to deny anything.

* * *

**End chapter 6.**

I picture Sirius as popular with girls, but not a womanizer. They know what they are getting into, but Sirius is NOT a man slut that lost it at 13.

My pairing is clear. After reading so much of these terrible Lily 'Mary-Sue is my middle name' Evans stories out there, it got me thinking that perhaps there was someone else for James, someone other than perfect Lily. Do not get me wrong; I love the L/J pairing, but it's so hard to find _quality_ stuff on them, so I decided to do a different spin. **If you don't like it, go read a Lily-Sue story; maybe that will bring it down to your level**

2 things for flamers:

Have a reason: not liking the pairing isn't a reason; no one is forcing you to read this. Guess what? At least I have the guts to do something original. Flaming ain't original

Do it fashionably: trust me, if you can't spell the word 'horrible', you're the one looking like a complete fuckwit, not me.

Hail to anniePADFOOT, who gave me that little flamer-note :)

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed…**

CPegasus, Silwen Aurdomiel and Wren Craven for reviewing anniePADFOOT's A Bunch of Snakes – go to her page for more excellent stories.

**Gwynn****-Potter  
**Is this soon enough for you? 11 days isn't _that_ bad I suppose. It will have to do, anyway. I try to update regularly but it doesn't always work out. But well, thanks for your review.

**Nissy**** Padfoot  
**I wish you the best of luck with the writer's block. I hate them, the evil little shits! LoL I have a bit of a violent temper underneath my hyper cheerfulness. Yes, I guarantee this story is completely and totally different to all the other stuff out there with the time travelers being noble & going back & such. Ooooh very excited about it. Anyway, thank you

**Silwen**** Aurdomiel  
**Ok, I'm not sure if I spelt your name correctly… so if not, my apologies. Thanks for all your wonderful reviews; I thought the idea of Hunter as a middle name was rather fitting. And I love cheerful!Sirius, so I've made him that. Also, I wanted to show that Draco _did_ change a bit… so he's kind of a bit split-personality like, changes moods in seconds. I love him, he's my favourite character. Go the art of flowing robes… thanks a lot for reviewing.

**spychick899  
**Thanks for being a continuous review. They're my favourite type. And yes, I tried to make Pete likeable enough; it really gets to me that some people just leave him out. At that age, they were still excellent friends, and even though I don't like him, he deserves inclusion. Thanks very much

**Wren Craven  
**Why, thankyou. You really think it's supremely well written? Wow. Thanks very much! I've made each chapter around 2000, because for me, that's a comfortable length which I have no problem sitting down and writing in one session. My vocabulary... well, I like using big words to sound smart. So there you go ;) And I did review a story of yours; I'm yet to get to the others. Thanks again

**Kris-tina4  
**I greatly appreciate you pointing out my mistakes, since I have a fair bit. I've also changed the Potions-DADA problem, thanks. Oooh you think Annie _likes_ to talk? Try being me, she never ever bloody shuts up! It's quite entertaining, because she can talk for a good hour or so about nothing, really. Holly's work is great, definitely on my quality list. She's very talented, you're right. And the Weasley thing… well, I had a quick look at the time lines on the HP Lexicon, and it seemed that Bill was a 1st year while James & co. were 7th… but eh, I just felt like putting him in. He's the best Weasley, definitely. Yes, I'm also a Ron hater, although I don't _really_ hate Ginny that much. I don't like her, but she's tolerable.

**Avadne**


	8. Chapter 7: A Revealing

**Just Too Tempting**

****

By **Avadne**

****

**Chapter 7:** A Revealing

"So what did you want to talk about?" Pete asked, flopping down onto his bed; it was pretty late at night, but none were sleeping, because the four Marauders had gathered together and were now all seated in the privacy of their dormitory, gearing up to discuss recent events.

"Mi Hooper and Hunter Brown," Sirius said quickly, pulling his hands behind his head and leaning comfortably on them as he lay on his own bed.

"I don't know. I mean, they know their way around Hogwarts really well for their first year here. And when people tell them about things like Hogwarts traditions they don't seem shocked or surprised at all; it's like they already know. I mean, you can only get so much for _Hogwarts; A History_," James said.

"I agree. I swear when I first saw them in that closet, they looked different," Remus put in. James and Sirius looked alarmed.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked sharply. Remus laughed; Sirius was probably thinking of wide-eyed, green-skinned aliens or something.

"No, nothing major… but I saw Hunter's hair lighter, platinum blonde and the same colour all around. It was a bit shorter too. And I remember seeing his eyes; they were really… well, _cold. _But they were silver, not blue. His features were a bit different too; larger nose, lower cheekbones, just stuff like that," Remus told them. Werewolves had very quick eye sight and sharp memories, so Remus was probably right.

"What about Mi?" James asked interestedly. Sirius smirked; James was just too transparent.

"Well, her hair was a bit… frizzier, I guess, and longer. Just above her elbows, without any streaks. And her eyes, without doubt, were caramel. No blue or green spots. She didn't have freckles and her nose wasn't as upturned. I don't think she had those dimples ether," Remus explained.

"Did you hear what they were yelling about?" Peter asked. This could be a very valuable clue; what if they were using, say, different names?

"A bit of it, they were arguing; I'm sure of it. I remember Mi saying something like 'Are you a wizard' or whatnot. I think something must have just dawned on Hunter then. I did hear something like 'Yeah right, Malfoy. Are you seeing what I'm seeing?' Why would Mi call Hunter 'Malfoy'?" Remus asked.

"That's it! That's who Hunter reminds me of; Lucius Malfoy! I knew he looked familiar," James jumped up, a piece of the puzzle clicking slightly.

"Well Lucius doesn't have any brothers or cousins this age," Sirius offered. "Ok, did you hear anything else after that?"

"Ok, I'm pretty sure that Hunter said 'What? That hot redhead and 3 guys?' Mi must have hit him then. He added afterwards 'You don't have to hit me; I'm stating a fact'. Mi replied something I didn't catch. She asked him if he wanted to be hit again. Here's the other weird part; he said to her, sarcastically, 'Yes, I do. My greatest thrill in life is being hit by you, Granger'. Or something like that. But I'm sure I heard Granger. So why is Mi calling Hunter 'Malfoy' and why is he calling her 'Granger'?" Remus asked them. He only got some shrugs in reply.

"You know the creepiest thing, though?" James began.

"When we told Mi that Remus has to visit his sick grandma, she just got this knowing look in her eye and smiled, like an I-know-a-secret smile. It's like she knew about Remus!" Sirius finished for James. James nodded vigorously.

"She has no problems with anything at all, knows her way around the library even better than Evans and sometimes, I swear that her and McGonagall are old friends or something," James added, standing up to pace.

"I agree. But what can we do?" Pete asked, looking around for an answer. James and Sirius both shrugged.

"I say we wait, and observe. Don't say anything yet," Remus put in, glancing out into the sky.

"Ok, we stay silent for now. But we be careful," Sirius confirmed. The others nodded in agreement.

"I'm off to bed, guys. 'Night," James said quietly, crawling into his bed again, still deep in thought. _If Mi is really someone else… then who do I get these feelings for? And why is she hiding?_

* * *

Draco relished this; such walks had been a regular escape, here at Hogwarts and at home. It was past midnight and Draco was sure that no other sane person would be out here. Hogwarts was a huge place, both the castle and the grounds. Not to mention that the chances of Draco getting caught were highly unlikely.

Pushing platinum blonde hair out of his eyes, Draco looked up. The sky was an interesting combination of colours; overall it was black. A small amount of starts were scattered here and there and the crescent moon gave little light. But there was an orange glow from one of the taller towers and around that tower, the glowing light made the sky shine. It was blue or black, but with streaks of pinks, purples and even orange. It was no where near time for sunrise and the clouds that hung around there seemed puffier than the others, yet a dull shade of blue-grey.

The cold, gushing winds would have frozen an ordinary person by now. But Draco was resistant to the icy temperature. This wasn't cold; cold was actually being _scared_ of your father. Cold was being forced to join a group of murderers. Cold was being raised by a mother than couldn't ever show her love. Cold was being punched up so badly, you couldn't even move. Such a night was definitely not cold.

Draco had never really been one for talking. Yes, he had a sharp wit and a quick mouth, but that was something that had been beaten into him. Draco had never relished on conversations with housemates. To the outside, Draco was the ultimate Slytherin King… back in their time, anyway. He was the one who had it all. But really, Draco never fit in. To them, he might have been perfect, but for himself, he was the loner, the misfit that would never belong, no matter how much it seemed he did.

Usually, one look from Draco's eyes was enough for a thousand words. That was at home, anyway, where he avoided speaking unless necessary. Of course, here at Hogwarts, things were different; there wasn't much silence. And things were settled more commonly by words rather than punches. His father never really physically abused him; the occasional slap, but nothing major. But emotional abuse was a different story. It had taken some time getting used to, that at Hogwarts, it was a fact that people were after a friendly chat, not trying to get you into a mental breakdown. It wasn't usual; they didn't tell him he was worthless or whatnot… no, it was deeper than that.

There was the occasional fight, but not many reports of wizard duels or even old fashioned punch-ups. Slytherin was the main house like that; notorious for picking fights with Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, but best of all, Gryffindor. And the occasional Slytherin, one that didn't fit their mould or wasn't loyal to Slytherin.

"Aren't you cold?" a voice asked from behind him. Draco was leaning comfortably against a stray tree, in a half-sitting, half-lying position, looking up at the sky.

"No," Draco responded, not turning around to look at the speaker; Draco could tell by the voice, it was Hermione. And not adding any additional comments to the side. He wasn't in the mood for a conversation at the moment; coming here was to be alone. But Hermione it was didn't give up. A second later, she was next to him, in the same position he was.

"Do you mind?" she asked. No response, so she took as it okay. "Anyone else would be freezing," she added, not looking away from the stars.

"Are you?" Draco asked, not really interested. He knew what the answer would be; yes. Hermione was only wearing robes over her pyjamas.

"I'm never cold," she answered calmly. Now, she had caught Draco's interest; she had surprised him, which not many people did anymore.

"Why?" Draco couldn't resist asking.

"Because it's not really cold," she answered simply. Draco nodded slightly

"We have to talk, don't we?" Draco asked heavily. Hermione nodded sadly as Draco sighed; screw his alone time, taking a walk for some peace and quiet. Obviously, it wasn't going to happen.

"We have to, but it doesn't mean I want to," Hermione said, also sighing. Draco was, again, somewhat surprised; he always thought she would be the first one jumping at such a chance to share experiences or something.

"We have to be completely honest here, you know that?" Draco asked. Unfortunately, this wouldn't work without the honesty factor. If they were going to make a plan to get out of here, they both needed _all_ the facts. Hermione nodded reluctantly.

"Tell me how Slytherin is going," Hermione began, shifting her body slightly so that she faced Draco. He shrugged in response, avoiding her eyes.

"It's all right," he replied half-heartedly. This was the subject he had hoped to avoid for a while longer, maybe until he had the mess under control and he knew what he wanted.

"Don't give me that," Hermione said sharply, glaring at him. She knew something was up, something big.

"Fine; I'm the latest wanted-recruit for Voldemort," Draco said without humour. His tone was dull and he avoided Hermione's eyes carefully.

"WHAT!?" Hermione was shocked; she had not been expecting this at all. _Simply fabulous,_ she thought. _So now Draco is being prepped up for a future Death Eater club._

"Yes, it's all just peachy," Draco answered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, what are they doing to you?" Hermione asked carefully, trying not to imply anything too soon.

"Oh, you know, just the usual; empty threats, equally empty promises, power games. That type of thing," Draco explained.

"So, no physical violence or anything?" Hermione pressed on. Draco suppressed a snigger, but just barely.

"Nah… not yet. I can handle it, though. But what's with you and the Marauders?" Draco asked, eager to drop the subject and move onto something else.

"Well, it takes a lot of self control not to scream _murder, bloody murder_ every time I see Pettigrew…" Hermione trailed off.

"Me too, and I'm not even in your house, not to mention I hardly even like the junior Pott-_Harry_. But I know a rat when I see one," Here, Hermione nodded in agreement. "Ok, tell me. I know you're keeping something quiet."

"I th-think I'm d-developing feelings f-for…" Hermione began, very quietly and nervously. Obviously, she knew what Draco meant, because she hadn't even tried the 'I don't know what you're talking about' routine. Damn that honesty. Draco could guess what was coming next easily.

"James. It's James, isn't it?" Draco asked heavily. Hermione looked surprised, but nodded.

"That obvious?" Hermione asked, worry visible on her face. Draco shook his head somewhat sadly, looking around, just in case some insane person was out and eavesdropping.

"Careful, Hermione. You don't need a lecture from me; you know what could happen," Draco warned her. He didn't bother with all that _you could change the future_ crap; Hermione knew it all, much better than he did anyway. It was up to her and her self control. Draco was basically powerless.

"I know. Now come on, let's go back. People might start getting suspicious," Hermione lifted herself up and dusted her robes off.

"You go, I'll be there in a minute," Draco replied. Hermione shrugged and walked off. _Finally, some alone time_, Draco thought happily. Now, back to thinking about his screwed up life and the Death Eater proposal. _I am screwed either way, aren't I?_ He asked his consciousness. Looking around into the black night, he remembered back in his real time the Death Eaters and the terror they inspired. He also remembered what terror was in store for someone to go against Slytherin, _Them_ & the source. _Yep, screwed either way_.

* * *

**End chapter 7**

This chapter was necessary, believe it or not. It was important to show both the relationship between Hermione and Draco, as well as the Death Eater thing. Vital part of the plot… that's all I'm saying.

**Nissy**** Padfoot  
**Another great review from you! Hopefully ALL writer's blocks will just disappear because they're the banes of my existence. Blood annoying! By the way, just to make you feel better... I've never gotten the wrapper of a Hershey's Kiss off without tearing the paper... & I've tried many, many times. Yes, that's what I do for fun/out of boredom. Eh. Besides when you DO actually accomplish it, let me know so I can cheer you on!

**Gwynn****-Potter  
**Thank you very much. I know this update took me a while and I'm feeling quite guilty, so that means the next chapter will probably be up within a few days. Thanks :)

**Kris-tina4  
**Weasleys and ages are just… too confusing. I'm too lazy to go work it out. Thanks very much for encouraging me, too! By the way, I just finished reading your story _11 Years Later_ & I'm about to leave a review but since I don't have much time it will probably be short… so it's an excellent story! Even though I'm not a G/D person, I liked it!  
Hail to Annie shutting up! Nah, which will never happen… I've learned the art of looking like I'm listening when I'm not. It's quite useful sometimes. OW! That evil little girl just hit me she is reading over my shoulder!. And she says HI KRIS! Er…. I think that's all.

**Steelsings  
**I think your review was the longest I've gotten not just here, but in my whole life. Good for you! And good for Wren Craven too hands doughnuts to W.C & S.  
Thank you very, very much. I try to keep people in character as much as possible, although it's not easy since we know nearly nothing about for instance, Pete or James & Lily. And of course Lestrange too. I think I've changed Draco a teeny bit, but it's all in good fun. And Pete… yes, I dind't ignore him completely. I actually tried to include him.  
I've heard of Hermione/Sirius the most, but it seems a bit strange because Sirius is so rash and Hermione actually did _know_ him. Same with Remus… but with James, it's a clean slate. And I'm also trying to emphasize that Remus isn't the boring Marauder that is basically a fun-sucking spoilsport. He's just better at not getting caught… although I think him and Hermione would make a pretty wicked couple too! And YAY! A fellow Ron hater? Good for you! hands more doughnuts. I also quite dislike Ginny, but she's tolerable. However, writing about characters you don't necessarily like is also sort of refreshing in a way, I think.  
As for the Interludes, they are purposely that vague. Readers aren't meant to realize straight away which one belongs to whom. All will be revealed in the last one, I suppose, but for now it's just vague.  
Also I did read some of your stories and I must say they're quite excellent. I especially liked 6 Feet Under, even though I hate the GW/DM pairing it's quite clear they aren't in love. And I always did picture Ginny as a bit of a Voldemort supporter… excellent! Also thought Cat & Mouse was especially good, and I read a few more but then my reviews decided to be stupid little shi- I mean, stupid little things and NOT WORK!

**Avadne**


	9. Chapter 8: A Smile

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Chapter 8:** A Smile

Hermione had been doing a bit of last minute studies in the Library, her sanctuary. She loved the feel of the books, the musty smell, the calm, quiet atmosphere. There were no interruptions... or so Hermione thought. But as she was looking through an overly large volume titled _A Compendium of Common Curses and their Counter-Actions_, a favourite of hers ever since she had discovered it in the Room of Requirement in 5th year, someone made it their job to keep Hermione from learning.

That someone was Lily. And Hermione quickly found that she didn't mind the interruption much at all; it was great, getting to know the petite redhead that was Harry's mother. After a few minutes of light-hearted chatter, Hermione was at complete ease with Lily, whom she realized was, in ways, a lot like herself.

"So, you're coming to the match, right?" Lily asked Hermione, who nodded fervently. The first Quidditch match of the season was planned for later that day and Hermione was going to support Gryffindor, including James and Remus, who were members of the team.

"Wouldn't miss it… although I'm tempted to stay here," Hermione replied, smirking at the looks on Ron's or Harry's faces she could imagine, if she would have said no.

"You know, it's nice to meet another girl that knows where the library is… one that's not obsessed with boys and make-up," Lily said softly, looking at Hermione with her emerald eyes.

"Thanks, Lily. I know what you mean; my 2 best friends back home were both guys, so I was always hearing about Quidditch and such… and neither of them were particularly fond of learning either. I've been feeling like an outcast for a long time now…" Hermione trailed off quietly, Harry and Ron's smiling faces coming into view.

"Have you kept in contact?" Lily asked, scooting a little closer to Hermione. Hermione shook her head lightly.

"Not really… it's complicated," Hermione offered lamely, knowing that the excuse didn't even sound plausible to her own ears, let alone Lily's. Lily gave her a searching look, but didn't question the matter further.

"Well, come on, we don't want to miss the match, then… I'm the commentator…," Lily stood up, as did Hermione, dusting herself off and replacing the book.

"Let's go," Hermione said brightly as the two new friends made their way to the Quidditch pitch.

* * *

"WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE FIRST QUIDDITCH GAME OF THE SEASON!" Lily yelled happily, acting as commentator, like she had said. Hermione sat with Sirius and Pete while James was in the air as Chaser and Remus with him as Beater for Gryffindor. Today's match was against Ravenclaw and there were perfect Quidditch conditions, as far as Remus was concerned.

James was nowhere near as calm as his friend. He could hear Lily's pre-game chatter and smirked slightly as he remembered how Lily had before used her position as commentator to insult or provoke James, mainly in 5th and 6th year when he started asking her out.

"Ok, team, let's just get out there and do our best," James said tightly to his team. Remus gave him an encouraging grin and hopped onto his broom. James followed in suit and both flew out onto the pitch. The fresh breeze helped clear James's mind and he absentmindedly searched the stands, his eyes falling on Mi. Remus saw this and smirked again; James might not admit it, but Lily was no longer at the top.

"LUPIN, SHACKLEBOLT, MCKINNON AAAAAND POTTER!" Lily had yelled out as Remus followed his fellow Beater and the other Chasers plus James flew out in order. The Ravenclaw team had gotten out before hand. There were claps and cheering from the stands, as well as booing from Slytherin.

"Gryffindor in possesses… oooh, duck that Bludger!" as the crowd quieted down, there was no need for Lily to yell loudly.

McGonagall's shrill whistle pierced the air; apparently, she was the referee in this time. The whistling signaled the obvious foul; one of the Ravenclaw Beaters had bashed his club against the _Quaffle_ in order to get it away from James's fellow Chaser, a future Order member Hermione recognized as Kingsley Shacklebolt, a tall boy with dark skin and closely cut dark hair.

The game was at a fast pace; James, Kinglsey Shacklebolt and the other Gryffindor Chaser, Meghan McKinnon, were doing great. They almost seemed to read their minds. Remus and his fellow Beater were keeping any dangers away from their team and the Keeper was pretty good, blocking about ¾ of the goals… but the Seeker… well, the small, skinny boy wasn't doing so great.

Just over two and a half hours into the game, Gryffindor was leading by 140 points and there was still no sign of the Snitch. Well, actually there had been; by the _Ravenclaw_ Seeker. But an accurate, powerful hit of Remus's club to a Bludger had stopped the Ravenclaw side from winning. James, Kinglsey and Meghan scored again and the Gryffindors cheered like the Hufflepuffs, who cheered whenever _anyone_ scored. But the Ravenclaws booed, as did the Slytherins; they too booed whenever _anyone_ scored.

Hermione was getting more and more bored by the second. The excitement and eagerness of Lily's commentating had slowed right down to a somewhat dull tone that said the straight facts without any side comments. The cheering had stopped except for a smatter of clapping whenever someone scored. A foul had just been awarded to the Ravenclaws; Hermione missed the reason behind it. But the Gryffindor Keeper successfully blocked and immediately, Meghan McKinnon flew past grabbed the Quaffle; the only thing visible was a flash of golden streaks amongst her black hair. The ball then went to Kingsley, back to Meghan, to James and through the hoop.

And then, the 2 Seekers were both diving head-first into the ground. Everyone stopped, distracted by the sudden chase. It looked like the Gryffindor Seeker was going to win, but the out of no where, a Bludger hit by the Ravenclaw Beater flew out. Both Seekers ducked, just in case. But James, who had the speeding Bludger out of his line of vision, didn't even know it was coming.

_CRACK!_

The Bludger hit James square in the nose, centre of his face. Blood began spurting out immediately, but not before James lowered himself towards the ground as much as possible before passing out. And Hermione was on her feet and running down before she even realized it.

* * *

Coming back from the very eventful game, Hermione was constantly fidgeting and nervous; they knew James had a broken nose and possibly concussion. Ravenclaw's Seeker had caught the Snitch, but Gryffindor had won anyway. The rest of the Marauders, however, seemed completely fine. Even Pete was reasonably still, sitting with Remus and playing Chess.

"How can you just sit there like nothing is wrong?" Hermione asked exasperatedly. Yes, she had been best friends with a Quidditch star since 1st year, but every time Harry got injured, she was always worried sick. Why weren't Pete, Remus or Sirius doing anything? They seemed to be having a fun old time chatting and generally lazing about in the Common Room, not a care in the world.

"Because there _is_ nothing wrong," Remus explained with over-exaggerated patience, looking down on the Chessboard and moving a piece.

"Yeah, Jamie's a tough cookie," Sirius out in. Everyone looked at him. "What?"

"Forget it, Sirius. I won't even _try_ to explain to you what is wrong with your head," Remus said, deadpanned.

"Nah, he's just temporarily meddled after his _date_ with Meghan McKinnon… if you want to call a closet and two people, doing things that couples do a date, that is," Pete explained in his quiet voice, grinning at Sirius, a trace of awe in his watery eyes. Sirius puffed up his chest in mock-pride and laughed.

A few minutes of more pacing and checking her magical watch later, Hermione was sick and tired of this. Looking around hopefully again, in hope of seeing one of the other Marauders be worried or something, she was quickly forming a decision in her mind. But Sirius, Remus nor Pete looked the tiniest bit concerned about their injured friend. Hermione couldn't take this any more.

"You guys, I want to go see James," Hermione announced, standing up. Sirius grinned knowingly and Remus smirked.

"Go ahead, Mi. Say hi to him for us," Pete waved her off, also smiling in that I-know-a-secret way, making another move in the game, one that caused Remus to grin.

"And tell him to hurry up; we have a certain _event_ to plan, in case he's forgotten. Don't worry, you'll know what it is soon enough, Mi," Remus added.

"What, aren't you coming?" Hermione asked, slightly shocked. She thought they would have all jumped at the chance; although once she thought about it, Hermione knew none of them would. As deep as their friendship obviously was, all 3 of the other Marauders seemed almost used to this type of behavior. And observing them before had just confirmed her suspicions.

"Nah, we'll give you some _alone_ time," Remus said, only half-joking. Then he turned back to Pete and said smugly, "Checkmate. Pete, I can't believe I just kicked your ass in 3 moves."

"Neither can I. I'm getting worse and worse; I live to feed your ego, Remus. The only person I can beat now is Sirius, and that's only because the Chess pieces won't obey him after the episode in 6th year when suddenly they all had pink and yellow daises instead of heads…" Pete trailed off, grinning apologetically at Sirius and Remus.

"Good times, Pete. Good times… Oh, and besides, Mi, in 5th year, when James was in the Wing for 5 full days, we made a pact never to spend more time there than necessary. Pomfrey's just being stubborn; James will be fine. But go ahead," Sirius explained, turning back to Pete and Remus. Hermione rolled her eyes and stepped outside of the portrait, heading in the direction of the Hospital Wing to see James.

* * *

James was still in the Hospital Wing, sleeping and not looking particularly comfortable or relaxed. Yet somehow, Hermione was completely mesmerized by the scene in front of her; James looked so unprotected, so vulnerable. This was one of the main similarities between Harry and James. Obviously, they looked almost identical. But the other one that stood out to Hermione was that both were boys. Yet their innocence was gone. They were only 17, but had the aura of men.

"Mi? Is that you?" James mumbled. Hermione jumped slightly; she had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realize that James had woken up.

"Yeah, it is," Hermione whispered, not wanting to startle him. "How are you?"

"I'm better… now that someone is here. Especially you," he replied softly, a smile lighting up his tired face. Suddenly, it stuck Hermione how much she loved that smile, how much she loved it on Harry and how much she loved it on James. Smiling made James beautiful, in Hermione's opinion. No doubt, he was good-looking already; not too tall, with smooth, papery white skin, spiky, messy hair of raven black and beautiful, golden hazel eyes that had no end. But James's blank, emotionless façade, his face without a smile, was just downright wrong. It was his flaw; James was one of those people that always should have his emotions on display. And he should. He shouldn't keep his face, his eyes empty. Smiling made him beautiful, like that infectious grin that could light up a room.

When he smiled, the world would unfreeze. A single smile from him was enough for anything. Not a smirk, a grimace or even a forced grin. But a real smile. A smile that was sincere, one that conveyed a thousand words. Like one of his pointed looks, smirks or scowls, one of his smiles held such meaning that there was absolutely no need for words at all.

When James smiled, he was a boy again. The boy he should be, at 17. Not the man that had taken the boys place too soon and at an early age. His innocence came back. Love returned. Care, happiness and feeling all came back. So much was reflected in a single smile from James Potter. The same was with Harry, if not worse. Harry was a man a long time ago; Hermione got the feeling James had only become one last year or so. But it came down to the same thing; she loved when Harry smiled. But when James smiled… it was something else.

"How are you?" James's quiet voice had broken her out of her little daydream about James's smile.

"Well, worried for one," she replied honestly. James smiled again and Hermione felt herself copy the movement.

"Don't worry; I'll be out of here in no time. Pomfrey fixed my nose in a second and the concussion is gone. But since I _am_ here, why not take advantage… in other words, do me a favour and _don't_ tell me what I've missed in lessons," James said with an impish grin.

"Well, if you insist. But I have to get going; Sirius, Pete and Remus all say_ hi_ too… oh and Remus says to 'hurry up, there is a certain _event_ to plan', which, I'll assume you know what he's on about. Now, you better get well soon or else…" Hermione mock threatened. James nodded solemnly and shifted his position so that he was lying down again.

"Thanks… yeah, I know what Remus means. I'll be ready and you're in for a treat. Good thing everyone knows when and where… but thanks again and bye," he whispered, suddenly looking very tired. Hermione nodded to him and James's head fell back against the pillow, his eyes drooping closed. Although she wanted dearly to ask what this event was, the one that everyone knew _when and where_ Hermione stayed quiet and backed out of the room partly to give James peace. But was yet again mesmerized by the sleeping James and stopped at the door for a few seconds.

Shaking herself out of these thoughts, Hermione left quickly. And for the first time since she and Draco got here, Hermione thought about how their own actions were _really_ affecting other people; not just them and not just Harry or Ron or their future. But how they were affecting Sirius, Remus or Pete, or even Lily. And especially James.

**

* * *

End chapter 8**

If you think that Sirius, Remus and Pete are bad friends, then no, they're not… well, maybe Pete. But trust me, they are _so_ used to an injured James. They're used to an injured Remus too, thanks to the werewolf thing. And I imagine they are used to injured Pete, because I see him as a bit of a klutz. Finally, I think they see injured Sirius a lot… because as liked as he is, he's got to have a lot of enemies. Like all those girls with broken hearts! So, no, they are _good_ friends; this was just to give Hermione some time with James.

Oh and I have no idea whether it's possible to win a Chess game in 3 moves. Not much of a Chess player…

**Canadian Coco Chick   
**Well in my opinion, you get a cookie too. I hate mushy Draco stories where he fully changes… so I'm trying to keep him in character. There is some very light romance for him, but the story does it's main focus on Hermione. Anyway thank you for reviewing!

**Nissy**** Padfoot   
**Draco & Hermione... yes, they've become good friends. They had to, really. And as for Draco, he won't be suffering forever! I'm not big on fluff, but I did sort of try here. I hope you like it! I completely agree with you... my little wookie pookie is so taking it too far! Drama and wrongs make it a real life after all. Anyway thanks very much

**Gwynn****-Potter   
**You _need_ more, do you? Well I hope I've posted this quickly enough so that you can quench the need, even for a little while. Thanks

**Marauder-Magick33   
**Well thank you very much! Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging... yes, someone else has recommended that to me. It sounds gunny. Anyway, Draco rocks, he doesn't need me to make him better! And as for Hermione... well, all I'm going to reveal is that Harry will still be born. But not necessarily in the same circumstances. Thanks again

**Kris-tina4   
**You're welcome for my little review. I've been meaning to do some more reading for a while, but I have limited access to the internet. Well thank you for reviewing, Annie is here as she always is when I'm updating and is laughing her head off at your remark. It's sort of entertaining… sort of. Good luck

**Kali Ceannai   
**Thank you. I think that 2000 words per chapter seems reasonable… I try being unique. It's harder than it sounds, though! I hate the broken time turner cliché method of getting back to time. Besides, Draco's just too cool _not_ to bring along. LoL I do think that Snape would have the billowing robes look down from an early age. As for Bill not being canon; yes, I know. I didn't bother working all that out myself, I just went to the HP Lexicon. I think it looked there as though Bill would be a first year when the Marauders are seventh, but I don't really care. He''s fun to play around with anyway. Thanks a lot for all your reviews!

**Silwen**** Aurdomiel   
**Yes, the talk between Draco and Hermione was fun… we don't really see a whole lot of it, do we? Well, thank you very much for reviewing and encouraging me.

**Avadne**


	10. Chapter 9: A Respected

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Chapter 9: **A Respected

(A/N: Another rather Draco-centric chapter. Can't neglect my wittle Drakie can I? That was complete SARCASM: I despise it when people call Draco Drakie. Just no. It ruins the bad boy image!)

(A/N 2: Sorry again. I uploaded this chapter before, but it was screwed up, so I had to do it again. Sorry guys)

While Draco wasn't quite as close to the Marauders as Hermione seemed right now, he still had to maintain contact. And he _needed_ to see Hermione very soon. And what's the best way to find a Gryffindor? Stand outside of their Common Room of course, the one that Draco had found the entrance to in 4th year. But instead of getting Hermione, like he hoped, he got none other than Sirius Black.

"Have you seen Mi?" Draco asked him urgently as the black haired boy came out of the portrait hole. Sirius shook his head, confused at the desperate manner in which Draco spoke.

"Why, what's up?" Sirius asked, startled by the other boy's frantic face, eyes wildly traveling around everywhere in search of the girl he seeked.

"I should tell her about the _recent events_ of Slytherin," Draco muttered darkly, forcing himself to calm down a bit. Sirius looked at him silently before taking his arm and literally dragging him away from the portrait hole.

"You can tell me," Sirius said calmly to Draco, leading him into an unknown room. Draco looked at Sirius warily before sighing and giving in. He might as well try to make _someone_ understand. Draco looked at Sirius thoughtfully before talking.

"Well, you _would_ understand, I suppose… Ok, it's like this-" Draco started to tell his tale, but was interrupted before he could even form the first real word.

"Wait a sec, what do you mean that I _would_ understand?" Sirius asked sharply, looking at Draco piercingly. How did he know any of this stuff?

"Uh… I heard about your family. But not important right now, ok. Look, I'm the next recruit, for Death Eaters. But I don't want to be one… so I ignored _Them_; Lestrange, Snape, Nott and Wilkes and didn't give _Them_ their confirmation. Now the house is down in two; me against Lestrange and _Them_, basically. But the rest of the house is in it too, now and they'll have to pick their sides, mainly 5th years and up. And there's going to be a fight. Not some stupid amateur 'battle' and not one on one, either…" so for the first time, Draco told someone his full story and what was happening with _him_. Not with anyone else, but _his_ major problems.

And boy, were they major.

* * *

Apart from being shocked, Sirius felt… accepted? No, not exactly. Not alone was more like it. There was someone else with a similar situation to him. And that would be Hunter Brown. Hunter and Mi, the two new students. Hunter, a Slytherin.

And now Sirius knew a bit more of what was going on in Slytherin, Sirius could relate. It sounded a bit like his family life, only mega-sized. Sirius couldn't _believe_ the measures Slytherin, as a whole, but especially _Them_, took to make sure it's members stayed loyal to the cause. Sirius was sure that no one in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw knew about the Procedural Admittance, including use of Truth Spells, or how _They_, the powerful members leaded especially by Snape and Lestrange, with Nott and Wilkes as their right-hand men, how _They_ influenced the house so much, how much they covered up and what lengths they took to keep the house loyal. Loyal and secretive; there must be hundreds of safety measures to make sure no one else, not even the teachers -except Slytherin's Head of House- knew about the goings on of the Dark House, as if was nicknamed.

Sirius presumed he knew a bit more than the average non-Slytherin student, thanks to Regulus's ranting up to Sirius's 5th year, before he moved out. But Regulus was 2 years younger, and wouldn't have even gone through the Procedural Admittance until this year, when he entered 5th year. So while Sirius knew what they house was like, he knew naught of the details.

Until Hunter had told him. And it was times like then that Sirius was eternally thankful he had gone against the family, rebelled and landed in Gryffindor. Sirius had now developed a strange bond with 'the new guy' and was anticipating what would happen in Slytherin during the coming days.

But first he had to tell the others.

* * *

A knock sounded on the door of the 7th year boys' dormitory in Slytherin. Without waiting for an answer, whoever the person was, opened the door and strolled in. Draco had been on his bed, something he did an increasing amount here, thinking. The dormitory was empty, except for Wilkes, who had spent the last half hour giving Draco sour looks. Draco, however, turned his attention back to the interrupter.

"Who are you?" he asked. It was a girl, he observed. She was very short and her robes hung off her loosely. She stood in front of Draco, tapping her foot impatiently. Long, curly hair that had shockingly bright silver streaks amid the natural black framed her delicate face, button nose and wide mouth; she didn't hesitate in looking at him straight in the eyes, Draco's fake pale blue ones pierced by her intensely golden ones.

"Marlene McKinnon," she replied. Her voice was soft, feathery and unimposing, exactly the opposite of what Draco expected. It was void of emotion, but manipulative and seductive in it's own way. There was a sharp intake of breath from Wilkes. Marlene turned and faced him.

Observing him disdainfully, Marlene smirked at him before saying "Leave." To Draco's immense surprise, Wilkes hunched down and ran off rather quickly.

"I only need to know one thing; are you willing to help me?" Draco asked quickly. Marlene gave a swift nod and Draco gave her a look of gratitude.

"McKinnon?" asked another voice, somewhat similar to Marlene's, but masculine and not quite as alluring or appealing. Snape stood in the doorway, watching the exchange with not much interest.

Marlene inclined her head slightly, but made no other movements to greet the other boy. Frankly, Snape looked as if he couldn't care less. He turned to face Draco directly but blanked his face carefully.

"Our message: It's soon to start. Be ready," he said before sauntering out of the room, his trademark robe-billowing in full swing. Draco observed, out of the corner of his eyes, that Marlene had not moved.

"I've seen a lot in the Dark House. My twin, Meghan is a Gryffindor, and was sure that her being there would jeopardize my position in Slytherin. But it hasn't, as you saw with Wilkes. For no clear reason to me, I get the utmost respect around here… but while I'm loyal to Slytherin, I'm not loyal to _Them _and the source. I can help," Marlene spoke and Draco, again, was captivated.

"Good. I need all the help I can get at the moment. The House will side with _Them_ at the start… I can only hope they'll change their minds," Draco broke himself out of his trance at the girl in front of him.

"I wonder why they do it to you, like the do to me," Marlene said mysteriously. Draco stared at her, not comprehending the question.

"What?"

"Respect. What do you have that's so obvious? They don't recognize Brown as a Pureblood name and there's no knowledge that you're exceedingly rich, which I supposed are the reasons I get it. What makes you special?" Marlene explained, as if talking to a 5 year old.

"I don't know," Draco answered, only half-lying. It wasn't like Slytherin to behave in this way. They were usually so wary…

"You have the magical power. You have the blood. You have the money. You're _not_ who they think you are, though," Marlene stated before gracefully getting up and walking out without so much as a goodbye. But her speech had added even more to Draco's To Think About List, which was very long, to say the least. Sighing, Draco settled himself onto his bed and mentally reviewed point 1: how did any of this happen?

Draco had a feeling it would be a while before he got to point 2.

* * *

"We have things to discuss," Sirius said, unusually solemn. He had gathered round Remus, Pete, Hermione and James –freshly out of the Hospital Wing- for a 'meeting' of sorts.

"What's up, Paddy?" James asked cheerfully. Taking a Bludger to the head had done nothing to his sense of humor.

"What's up with those _nicknames_ is what I want to know," Hermione put in, knowing full well what they were but carefully keeping up appearances; she had kept quiet and not asked previously, but expected that the Marauders expect her to ask. Confusingly enough.

"If we told you… we'd have to kill you," Remus told Hermione smugly, smirking at her. Sirius glared at them and everyone immediately shut up; for one, Sirius almost never acted… well, _serious_. And two; he had a way of shutting people up, effortlessly gaining respect. Either way, everyone shut up and looked to Sirius.

"Do you know what's going on with the Dark House?" he asked, looking at each of them carefully. No one said a word. Except Hermione.

"A bit. Hunter told me a while ago about the recruiting stuff…" she trailed off, realizing the situation for what it was; urgent.

"Well, it's getting out of hand and fast. There's going to be something big, a fight, I think. Before the Party," Sirius explained. The other boys looked stricken, but Hermione was confused,

"What party?"

"For you, it's a surprise. But it will happen before the 10th of December, then… and it won't be good. They're divided, the house. Hunter on one side, and _Them_ in the hands of Lestrange and Snape, with Nott and Wilkes as back-up," Sirius replied, frowning in thought.

"There's nothing we can do," Remus said, ever so softly. Sirius lifted his head sharply and looked at Remus.

"Of course there is. What do you suggest; we just sit around on our asses while they fight it out?" Sirius asked violently.

"Think about it, Sirius. It's Slytherin; _no one_ interferes, ever. We can't get to them anyway. And it's not to do with us, it's them. It's their own _source_, their loyalty and not something we understand," Remus told the rest sadly.

"But-" Sirius began in frustration.

"No, Sirius. Remus is right," Hermione said softly. "Hunter can deal with it."

"I'm going. Later," Sirius got up abruptly and walked off to the dormitories. James sighed and both he and Pete got up to follow, leaving Hermione with Remus.

"Thanks," Remus told Hermione casually. Hermione shook her head strongly.

"You're right. Although I'd like to help, we can't," Hermione said unhappily.

"No wonder James talks about you so highly," Remus commented mischievously, a twinkle entering his amber eyes. A smirk graced his fine features and he looked on to Hermione for a reaction.

"Remus," Hermione began warningly, but blushed nonetheless.

"He's got feelings for you, clearly. Mi, you're the first thing since 5th year that made him take his mind off of Lily," Remus told her, a glimmer of awe evident.

"I can't, though," Hermione replied miserably. Remus looked confused at her comment and Hermione immediately regretted saying it.

"Why?" Remus asked conversationally, as if Hermione had spotted a simple problem with a Transfiguration essay or something equally petty.

"I just can't… I can't explain," Hermione stammered out, fearing what conclusions Remus may come to.

"Then careful how you play with his heart," Remus said to her, his voice taking a somewhat cold edge. Then, with one final look her way, Remus left Hermione alone in the Gryffindor Common Room. Alone to ponder on these last few words and how they affected her.

And neither noticed that a certain petite redhead with bright green eyes was at the foot of the stairs to the girls' dormitory, surely overhearing everything said so far. And as Hermione turned around, she thought she saw a flash of red, but waved it off as just her imagination.

How wrong she was.

* * *

**End chapter 9**

This one took me a while to write. Slytherin fight coming up very soon, as well as some Christmas Party preparations

Avadne

**Jaid**** Ziaen  
**Wow thanks… but did you really see a Hermione/Dumbledore? That's gross! Well, in principle, this is gross too I suppose… But Dumbledore is _really_ old. As for Hermione marrying James… well, you'll just have to wait and see. But the ending is very original, I promise. Anyway thanks a bunch for reviewing

**Kris-tina4  
**Laughter is good. I laugh lots. I have a weird laugh too & everyone disses me for it, but eh. As for Quidditch; well I had no freaking clue of what to do. And JRK always mentions in the books that Harry and James are very alike in looks apart from the eyes… so closed-eyes James would be like closed-eye Harry, right? Anyways have fun x-mas shopping… if only I had $$$ I'd be doing that too. But I don't. And just for reference, summer starts in 5 short days, officially. But it's quite hot… finally, chess sucks. Thanks!

**Nissy**** Padfoot  
**I'm glad you liked the fluff, because I didn't really know how to write it. And my update was quite late too, sorry about that blushes. I hope you're satisfied.

**Gwynn**** Potter  
**Hello again. I know my update was bloody slow… sorry. My computer time is WAY too limited. Enjoy though!

**Silwen**** Aurdomiel  
**Everyone always has Remus as the boring guy that's reading a book while the rest are on the Quidditch pitch… so I thought I'd do things my way. I'm glad to hear you liked it. Thank you very much.

**Amy-MWPP  
**Hello, hello! You've become my newest favourite person for your comment; _I luv how u write James he seems more real than the usual James who doesn't have a personality he's just whatever lily wants him to be._ Ah, so true! I thought I was the only one who saw the fact that James is completely 2D & just a slave to Lily. Thanks loads to you!

**megafreak  
**I'm sorry, I didn't respond to you last chapter… so here goes, I hope you get to see this. Well I hope you keep liking it then… yes, this is going to have a shock ending. It'd already written and I'm proud to say it's very different. And it's not some little piece of originality like… oh, I don't know, Hermione goes back to her time and James is magically alive or something. Nope, this is _way_ big. Anyway as for me checking out your fic… I did it gladly, and you're SO on my fave authors! It's great, I hope you update the sequel soon!


	11. Chapter 10: A Surprise

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Chapter 10:** A Surprise

(A/N: I don't know if people got an Alert for the last chapter, so you can try going back to check if you've read it…)

"Now," Marlene whispered. Draco had come down to the Slytherin Common Room, fully prepared for anything. But Marlene's whisper had shocked him still. _Why now?_ Draco thought to himself desperately.

"Brown," Lestrange spat out. Draco merely looked at him, without reply. Out of the corner of his eye, Draco saw a slight smirk form on Snape's mouth. Draco observed his surroundings carefully; Marlene was on his right, Snape was next to her again. Lestrange stood a few meters in front of him, with Nott and Wilkes behind him and flexing their muscles. Next to Wilkes, _They_ had gained a new member; a rather weedy looking boy that Draco recognized as 5th year, Evan Rosier.

Around the room, Draco also spotted the rest of the Slytherin 6th year boys, as well as the 5th years. One looked surprisingly familiar, a lot like Sirius. _Regulus__ Black_, Draco realized with shock. Regulus stood about half way between Draco and Lestrange, on the side and leaning against the wall. Draco couldn't help but also note that apart from Marlene, there was only a single girl; probably 7th year and had the Goth look going on. Draco concentrated on the whispers that he heard around the room.

"It's starting,"

"The end is here,"

"No more _Them_,"

"_Serpensortia__ Alei Engorgio_," a massive snake, much larger than the one that had appeared in the Dueling Club of 2nd year, was produced from someone's wand. It slithered to the centre of the room before disappearing in a puff of smoke. That was the signal to begin. At once, curses were being thrown everywhere.

"_Flipendo_," Draco yelled out, blasting Lestrange back into the wall. He was too busy to see who was fighting who, but got a peek of Marlene Body-Binding Rosier before moving on to her next victim. In an instant, someone was beside him and swiftly cursing anyone in their way. Draco craned his neck in an effort to see who it was, but only caught billowing black robes. Draco shook his head and turned his attention back to the duel.

"_Arachni__ Sorta_," Lestrange had just sent the latest at him, a good 1000 spiders making their way to Draco, who banished them easily. He knew that these spells, while basically harmless now, would only get more and more dangerous, until they got to the Crucio's and maybe even Avada's. It wouldn't really shock him; it was Lestrange after all. The guy was nuts.

The billowing cloak figure stepped in to take over the duel with Lestrange, leaving Draco free to point and eliminate. Draco settled on temporarily knocking his targets unconscious, leaving everyone else free to fight & with no real lasting damage.

"_Inconscientus_," Draco yelled out, left, right and centre. He had just enough time to duck and roll a jet of red light sent his way; a jet of blue light that looked suspiciously like the Bone-breaker, a nasty curse that could potentially kill. Draco knew that the fight was quickly getting dirty and he needed the support.

"_Assai Del Segno_," Draco had cast the best shield he could manage, one that would gain strength each time it was hit, and paused to look around, observe the damage. Marlene was still up and kicking the asses of guys twice her size, a smirk on her face. The Goth like girl also appeared to have taken Draco's side and was now in a one-on-one duel with a 7th year called Ellis Jugson.

_"Kitte Imasu,"_ Draco had just enough time to duck an arrow shot at his head through a spell of one of Lestrange's cronies. This was getting bad very fast.

There were 2 big surprises in store for Draco. The first one was the person dueling with Lestrange was… Snape. Yes, dark, billowing cloak Snape, co-leader of _Them_ was going against the cause. Interesting. But Draco was thankful anyway.

"_Pesante_," Snape had just used a handy little spell that made Lestrange feel as though he was constantly getting punched very hard in the stomach. Snape was grinning (which looked strangely out of place on his usually blank face) as Lestrange keeled over in pain.

The other surprise was who was dueling with 5th year William Avery; it was Regulus Black. Now all Draco had to do was find out which one he should root for. But a second later, he had his answer. Black had sent a sneaky little Leg Locker onto Avery, forcing the other boy to fall over. Black sensed someone watching, turned around and gave Draco a thumbs up before returning to another fight.

The disadvantage to the _Assai Del Segno_ shield was that it took lots of power to keep up and Draco's power was quickly draining from the strain to keep it up. So he let it go, ready to get hit immediately. But he noticed, with surprise, that he wasn't getting hit with many curses at all. Someone was stopping them. That's when he saw two 5th year brothers, Fabian and Gideon Prewett happily blocking any curses sent Draco's way _and_ equally happily send a few of their own especially powerful spells for their age. He had only seen the dynamic duo miss one target so far.

"_Diffindo_," he heard Snape yell. Draco broke down his shield, ready to go help his newly acquired and definitely powerful ally. But he never got the chance, because a second later, some unknown person had blasted him into the wall; Draco felt at least 3 ribs crack under the pressure. Draco slowly made his way up again, moving carefully and ready to get revenge. But the next word made him freeze in cold blood.

"_Crucio_," Lestrange had cast the Crucio. And Draco watched with despair as it connected. Without thinking about it, Draco ran up and rammed Lestrange down bodily, stopping the curse. Snape had fallen to the grown, but clearly refused to scream. He had been writhing in pain but stopped now and got up. Silently, he slinked over to Lestrange's fallen form. Careful to avoid Draco, he went wild and let loose with a flurry of curses and jinxes that even Draco's sharp ears couldn't keep up with. The end result was a mangled, deformed, unconscious and hardly breathing Lestrange. Draco was sure that some of those deforming spells were permanent too.

With Lestrange down, as their leader, the ones following him became a lot weaker and unprepared. But before anyone could really act it seemed that someone had rebelled against the universal rule; what goes on in Slytherin stays in Slytherin. Rushing in through the portrait hole was the Slytherin Head of House, Professor Borealis, accompanied by McGonagall.

"What is going on here?" McGonagall demanded in fury. Borealis remained silent, shaking her head in disappointment. Not disappointment for the actions, but because they were caught. She knew about what went on with Slytherin, it's _source_, but McGonagall didn't.

And so, with half of the Common Room in ruins from the spell damage, and unconscious or mangled _or_ both bodies lying around, no one said a word. What could they possible explain?

* * *

Draco was in a much better mood. All of the visible signs of 'the fight' were hidden under the robes. He refused to get them healed. And Lestrange had gone for the same theory… but he suffered a black eye and bust lip. Not to mention Snape's flurry of spells, the one that left him with boils all over his arms, exceeding amounts of body hair and a few other deformations. Draco observed it with satisfaction, while Marlene smirked in their enemy's direction. Snape sat on Draco's other side, his face, as usual, carefully blank. But there was a glimmer of triumph in his eyes that Draco didn't miss. Of curse, their success was slightly clouded by their 200 point deduction _and_ detention for a month _and_ the removal of certain privileges. McGonagall said she had never been more disgusted or disappointed in her teaching career. 

As the three Slytherins ate breakfast, so did the Marauders plus one at the Gryffindor table. And while three of the boys and the girl sat clueless, Sirius was the sole spectator. He saw the looks in Hunter's, as well as Marlene McKinnon's and even _Snape's_ eyes. He saw Lestrange's bust lip, black eye and other damage. He saw his own brother, Regulus look down disdainfully on Lestrange and sit away from him, closer to Hunter. He saw the way Hunter moved carefully, clearly suffering from at least 3 cracked ribs. He saw how obviously divided the Slytherins were, onto 2 separate sides.

Sirius knew what must have happened. But he wanted details, he _needed_ them. After Draco's talk with Sirius before the _fight_, they now had a bond. Through their hatred of family, of the Slytherin _way_ they were bullied into. Draco had won someone's trust, and likewise with Sirius. This is why Sirius was anticipating the Slytherin events with great importance.

Without speaking, even at the questioning glances he got from the others, Sirius stood up gracefully and began to walk. He sauntered as casually as he could; using every bit of swagger and attitude he had left , made his way to the Slytherin table with as much dignity as possible.

"How did it go?" Sirius asked in amazement, still taking in the clear line of separation at the usually apathetic and very blank Slytherin table. He directed his question to Draco himself as he stationed himself at their end of the table, but Sirius couldn't resist sending Snape a nasty look, even after all that Draco had said, about Snape being his right-hand, his 'main man' or something.

"Black," Snape sneered disdainfully, returning the look even as Draco scowled.

"Not now, Snape. What happened?" Sirius asked again with forced calmness, trying his best to ignore Snape and focus on the blonde boy and perhaps McKinnon.

"Like you said, not now. And not here. Later," Draco replied to Sirius coolly, sending him a look underneath his lashes. Sirius got the message, nodded and left while the rest of the Hall looked on as the great Gryffindor, Sirius walked away from the Slytherin table.

* * *

"Come on, we're going to Hogsmeade!" Lily told Hermione excitedly. She took Hermione's hand and dragged her down the stairs where they paused to sit on the couch for a second, while Lily explained. 

"Great… did you need something specific?" Hermione asked, confused by Lily's overenthusiastic demeanor.

"Of course… the party!" Lily replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What party?" Hermione asked, now really confused about all of this. Was this what the Marauders kind of slipped in, but never fully explained?

"That's what I'm here for; telling you all about it! This is going to be great," Lily practically _giggled_ with excitement. She began to explain the ethics of this _party_. By the end, Hermione was thoroughly bewildered.

"So let me get this straight. Every year, on the 10th of December, a group of 7th years plan a party for 6th and 7th years of Hogwarts. This year it's the Marauders; music, food, drinking, dancing and everything. Dumbledore's completely fine with this?" Hermione was amazed. She hadn't heard anything about this in her time; of course 20 years had passed and certain traditions died out… but still.

"That's about right; it's a no-teacher night either. No supervision except for two or three adult, volunteers from Hogsmeade usually. Last years was… well, let's just say although I don't like giving them credit, the Marauders made it 10 times better just being there. This year is going to be fabulous,"

"So basically, it's just a bunch of uncontrollable teens in the Great Hall, supervised by a few poor adults?" Hermione asked archly.

"When you put it that way… no, there's usually no trouble. Dumbledore trusts us. And it's really casual too; you can think of it as whatever. An evening ball, a masquerade, a social gathering. But by the end of the night, your mind will be blown," Sirius put in, sticking his head through the door from behind Hermione and Lily.

"Very casual," added Remus emphatically, his head appearing above Sirius's before disappearing a second later.

"Hey, Mi, want to go with me?" James called out, pushing Sirius away from the gap.

"Sure, why not," Hermione glanced nervously at Lily before replying, her heart skipping a beat. She grinned at James who smiled back before also vanishing.

"I _refuse_ to go in costume," Lily burst out suddenly. Hermione had just enough time to register the wicked grin on James's face before he too left.

"Now why would you say that?" Hermione asked as both girls began making their way to Hogsmeade. She looked at Lily quizzically and then turned around just to make sure Sirius or James wasn't behind them.

"Because it's the Marauders. Last year they wore costumes. This year, as hosts, it's going to be so much more," Lily explained shaking her head.

"Well, let's go out and get our perfect outfits… that are most definitely _not_ costumes. And you can tell me all about everything on the way!" Hermione suggested cheerfully, quickening her pace. Lily grinned and also sped up, ready for some girly-bonding over shopping.

* * *

"You might want to sit down, it may take a while," Draco offered. Sirius and James both sat down dutifully. Unlike the two girls, these 3 boys weren't here for buying clothes and things for the party. No, this was Draco's time to tell them the story of what went on inside the Dark House. What Borealis new, what McGonagall found out. How things were settled. Every little bit. 

"Remus and Pete had to go for some last minute preps, but we'll fill them in. We're all ears," James leaning forward in anticipation, resting his elbows on the table in The Three Broomsticks, their current location.

"Get ready for the dirty version, then…" Draco began. And then he talked. Talked himself out, explaining every single possible piece of Slytherin dynamics. All of the _Them_ topics, the Procedural Admittance, the constant control and sworn secrecy and the cause. The loyalty to the house and the loyalty to _Him_; Voldemort. The recruiting Death Eaters. And what went down if someone refused.

* * *

**End chapter 10**

Dance, part 1, is already typed and will be posted soon. There will be 5 Dance parts, just so you know and they _wont_ be starting with _A…,_ like all the other chapters. The chapter title will simply be the name of the song.

No idea whether there are any spelling errors in the incantations for the fight. Let me know if you spot one. Credit for incantations & effects to spells goes to **Ashen Haakon**, who's story _Spells & Creatures_ is where they came from.

As for readers... thanks to all who have reviewed. However a friend of a friend recently had a bit of a rant on the subject of reviewing. I know that over 20 people have me on their alerts, but most haven't ever reviewed. Could you _please_ do so, even if it's to tell me simply that; you put me on your alerts. I think that if a story you read is worth keeping track of, it's also worth 2 seconds of your time to review.

I posted chapter 9 a while ago, but it was all screwed over, so I've replaced it and posted chapter 10 at once. No review replies becuase no reviews for chapter 9.

**Avadne**


	12. Interlude 2: Reality

**Just Too Tempting**

By** Avadne**

**Interlude 2: **Reality

_I look at them all; they're so much more than me. I'm the tag along; I know it's what everyone sees me as. They are the real heroes, the ones that are wanted, needed, famous and there. They are the ones that are looked up to with awe, not me. I'm only associated by name, or something. I'm fading in the background while they shine._

_They're so different, yet so alike. There's a clear leader type system, and I can assure you that I'm at the bottom in every situation. Never at the top, never winning or shining brightly like a star. It's always one of them, and they deserve it. I'm jealous, but it's theirs, because they are extraordinary friends and the best, only ones I've got. _

Yes, there is a role for us. Under the full moon, Remus is the leader, power wise. Then Sirius and James, about the same. And I'm at the end, as a rat. Without the moon, as people, James is at the top. Sirius and Remus are close behind, but I'm last again. Yet I depend on my friends, my bond with Sirius, Remus and James especially. They've always saved me from anything I needed saving form.

_They always helped me. They are my protectors as well as my friends. And that's how I survive; with them. But the reality of my situation is that they won't always be there. They'll be here for as long as they can, but not forever. And that's why I've got to learn to survive by myself._

_--_

_I guess it's my own fault. My own fault that I was so foolhardy, so stupid to go out that night. To get bitten. So I had to keep the secret. And why is it that if I keep my secret so well, I can see other people do it too? I can just tell when things aren't completely right. It would make sense that I do, doesn't it?_

_I know things that others don't. I hear things, see things that others don't. Enhanced senses aren't as fun as they sound, let me tell you. Like on _their_ arrival, that first day in the closet. Why do I keep getting that scene played back over and over again? _

I don't want this; I never asked for it. I didn't think I was such an awful person to deserve it. Not when there are slimy gits like Snape running around. But apparently, whatever made it happen had a different opinion. I wonder why it was me they picked, I wonder every day. But I'll probably never know why and I had to accept that.

_That's how I know; I know that the reality is, not all things are as they seem. Include the 2 that I've grown so fond of during this last period of time. I know something is not right. And that keeps me landed in reality, and not off in the dream world others may be. Full of possibilities, scenarios that might not happen. Because there's always a secret and this time is no exception to that rule._

_--_

_It's always me, isn't it? Me, stuck in the stupid role of leadership. So they expect me to know what to do. Like I don't have enough of my own problems as it is. Like I don't have my own life to deal with, et alone theirs. No, don't get me wrong; I don't resent their friendship and everything else they've given to me. But sometimes, it sucks being the one they go to for help, they look up to._

_And I still haven't figured out why; why is it me that's the natural leader of things? When was this decided? I wasn't the obvious choice, not really. Well, ok, I sort of was. But I wasn't the _only_ obvious choice. There were and still are others that would do it just as well as me. Unless I'm doing terribly and no one informed me, they're just playing along._

It's strange that we have such leadership roles. I suppose that's part of the reason I got my position, school-wide, not just in our group. The teachers seem to also think I'm a born leader. So now that everyone else believes it, when am _I_ going to start seeing some of this great skill and talent that I 'naturally posses'?

_So as I conclude these thoughts, it's a strange reality we live in. A reality that's wonderful yet terrible at the same time. And once again, I have to choose. So why, if I'm the great leader, was I born so indecisive? And when will it go away? Will it ever?_

_--_

_I'm not worried about _him_ and _her_ anymore. No, I'm back to thinking about my family. Not my group, the ones I consider a family. But my blood family, the ones that conceived me, raised me and began to teach me their ways, the ways that I never wanted or believed in… the ones that I was against from an early age and the same ones that they could never beat into me, even though we were flesh and blood._

_I thought they would have stopped trying by now, but there are still a few last-ditch attempts, especially on Mothers side. I ignore my 'brother'; the only thing connecting us is blood and nothing else. But I'm staying right here, on the good side, away from my maniacal family, with only one live exception apart from me now._

How I've come to hate that word; blood. It changes everything, and if my family wasn't such a bunch of self absorbed, Dark Art fanatics, we could get along. But that's never going to happen, and I know it. I don't think I really care anymore. I've moved on.

_I know it; I faced my reality a long time ago. I will never have a true, caring blood family. But I don't need them, and I never will again. I have all the family I need with me in the form of _them_, around me at Hogwarts. I've stopped dreaming about loving parents, good brothers or even a sister. Because I have it; now, my reality is actually better than the dream._

_--_

_When ever I see either him or her, I remember my best friend. I remember how Harry has her eyes, yet his hair. I remember that Harry has his glasses, but her skin. Every time, in never loses effect; every time, I get the same memory rush of the best friend that is not here._

_I am reminded of my other best friend. Ron's flaming hair comes to my mind on instinct, and it is there, reminding me that I am no longer with them. I'm no longer with them in the body, but they remain in my sprit. I think of them every day, never forgetting the sound of Ron's laughter or the way Harry's looks at me through his hollowed eyes._

While Harry and Ron are there, and I am here, I do not see them. But I can feel their presence, their imprints on my heart. They will be there forever, I think. Even if we do not find a way back home and stay here forever, a possibility that's terrifyingly dangerous yet unbelievably exciting at the same time. Even if such a phenomenal event occurs, they will forever be imprinted on my heart.

_Harry and Ron… while you aren't here, I talk to you anyway. I pretend you're here with me, like you should be. I pretend that it's all like it used to be, like I never came here and never left you. But I know it's not. I have to face reality after all, I have to come down from my cloud of imagination._

_--_

_It's strange with them; strange to have acquaintances, allies… maybe, on some odd level, friends. How my house has become such a war of power; it's always been like that, and it will probably never change. But this is the highest I've ever seen it at. The tension is so thick, you can see it; you can see it in the way people talk, act, or even where they sit. A simple gesture like that isn't so simple any more._

_This is all about beliefs, the beliefs of Slytherin and the beliefs it should have. A Slytherin should be cunning and sly, but isn't automatically a Death Eater or Dark Arts fanatic; it's not meant to be like that and it never was. But it is._

It sucks being in the middle. Now, you may just think I'm whining, since I do that a lot. And if it were some stupid fight between two friends over a girl or something, I couldn't have cared less. But I'm right in the centre of the biggest event Slytherin has faced for many years. Every passing second sucks.

_It's a power game, a struggle of 'good' and 'evil', as it were. Them against us. I have myself, plus two of the most powerful Slytherin members. But they have the majority, as well as a lot of power too. So no I have to leave the dream I had, where I was back at home and face my reality, my fate and what I was meant to do from the very start. Save Slytherin._

_-----_

Another interlude is here. Yes, these are shorter than other chapters, and once again I'm saying there _is_ a significant meaning in these.

Each chapter is just one word, one important word that all of the drabbles are based around. Be aware of that.

I reccommed checking out my new ficlet, _8 Miles Running_. I've been told it's good...?

Thanks very much to Deepseadolphin11, Gwynn-Potter, Kris-tina4 and Nissy Padfoot for their reviews. I'm totally rushed at the moment, but I swear I'll do review replies next chapter.

Avadne


	13. I'm Ok

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Chapter 12: **I'm Ok

(A/N: I recommend you actually _read_ the lyrics to the songs, not just skip over them like I usually do. They have meaning. With Draco's, if you don't, you'll be lost with the questions)

It was finally the night of the dance. Lily had filled her in on _everything_ she needed to know at their Hogsmeade trip. And now it was the 10th of December, and things were getting started. As Hermione made her way down the stairs, just after Lily, she laughed out loud at the Marauders' outfits.

All had the same overly-bright yellow shirts, buttoned down. Pete wore a white top underneath _that_, but Remus, James and Sirius decided to be cheeky and let part of their chest and stomach be revealed. All four of the boys had the same pairs of equally bright red trousers, extremely long and baggy. To finish it off, they had _Men In Black_ style sunnies, just for decoration… and the hair. Each boy's hair looked like it had a good gallon or two of Sleekeazy's. Their hair was specially styled into long, cone-like spikes that stuck out at unusual angles. Pete's looked most normal, because his hair was so short. Remus looked odd without his usual tousled mop, and Sirius had it the worst; his hair was so long that the spikes went on forever. But James looked completely comfortable; his hair was already naturally messy and spiked, yet there he was, grinning his head off and every few seconds reaching up to touch it.

Hermione and Lily had both fervently agreed on no costumes. They had instead gone for simple muggle outfits, dressier than normal, but still casual. Lily chose a pair of baggy grey pants, fitted at the waist, a pale pink, sleeveless top and a pair of matching shoes. Lily's hair also seemed a bit more of a dark magenta than it's usual rich red.

Hermione, on the other hand, had opted for a short dress made of plum coloured material. It flared out at the end, a few inches above her knee and the top had a laced split. She had also cast a Straightening Charm on her hair and it fell smoothly down her back.

"Come on, we still have to get our _memories_ down in the hall!" Remus yelled. James grinned at Hermione, his eyes running down her appreciatively.

"You guys look... um, great," Lily said uncertainly. The Marauders all grinned wickedly at each other.

"Not bad yourself, Lil... and you too, Mi," Remus replied, grinning.

The group made their way down to the Hall, but stopped just before the entrance. Hermione was a bit confused, but waited it out.

"Hey," a voice said from behind them. Draco stood calmly, with a girl next to him; small frame covered in a short black skirt and a green peasant top. Hermione recognized her as Meghan McKinnon's twin sister and future Order member, Marlene.

"Ok, we're all here," Pete smiled and nodded to Sirius.

"Pose!" Sirius yelled out.

The Marauders were already in position. James grabbed Hermione around the waist and pulled her into a dancing position, while Lily jumped in between Sirius and Remus. Draco and Marlene, together, positioned themselves next to James and Hermione.Sirius waved his wand and threw up the magical camera in his hand. It zoomed around to a favourable position before Sirius muttered something again.

_Click, flash.__ Click, flash. Click, flash._

"Photos for all!" James yelled as he muttered a spell for extra-fast development. Numerous photos appeared and he threw them out, at least one for each member of their large group.

"Cheers," Pete grinned at he took a look at his photo.Hermione turned her attention to the picture in her hand.Obviously as a wizarding photo, it moved. One second, they were all in their original pose.Pete on the far left, then Sirius and Remus, with Lily in between, James holding Hermione and at the right, Draco with Marlene.

But then, it moved. And Hermione saw Remus pull Lily's hair playfully and Lily mock-glowerThen Sirius dived in front of them while Pete laughed cheerfully. Marlene shoved Draco and he held his hands up in surrender. And finally, James tightening his hold on herself and bending down to whisper something in Hermione's ear.

Instantly, a smile lit up every single face. Hermione felt tears well up in her eyes, but refused to cry. She shrunk the photos and tucked the, away into a hidden pocket of her dress bed before turning back to the Marauders and Lily.

"Where are all your dates?" Hermione asked curiously. "Are you guys meeting them there?" Hermione had realized that Remus, Sirius and Pete all seemed supremely unconcerned about this.

"Well, you're _meant_ to go alone. But screw that," Marlene spoke in her soft and alluring voice. Everyone stopped to listen.

"See, it's tradition to go alone, especially the hosts, but we've decided to omit that rule this year," Remus explained mischievously, giving a rather pointed look to James and Hermione.

"Basically, we're all going alone," Pete muttered, turning red. James laughed and clapped him on the back, smiling jovially. Draco and Marlene, the two Slytherins exchanged smirks but chuckled nonetheless.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" James asked energetically. Without further ado, he offered his hand to Hermione, who took it. And together, they stepped into the Great Hall for the party of this year.

* * *

When the Marauders, plus Hermione, Lily, Marlene and Draco got down to the Great Hall, the Marauders high-fived each other and the others looked on in approval. It looked amazing; the decorations included thousands of muggle balloons, confetti and streamers in every colour possible. There were also live fairies lighting up the hall, butterflies fluttering around peacefully and lots of random, magical flowers all around the place. It all looked crazy yet inviting and completely Maruader-ish.

Hermione just stood alone for a second, taking it all in. Draco and Marlene disappeared almost immediately, while James, Sirius, Pete and Remus got swept away in a matter of seconds, being the hosts. Lily was graciously asked for a dance by a 7th year Ravenclaw, so Hermione was quickly left alone. Or so she thought.

"You owe me one," whispered a silky voice from behind her right ear. Hermione jumped. Apparently, Draco hadn't gone far. He had managed to, yet again, sneak up on her without Hermione having a clue. It was a bit unnerving really, how easily he could do that.

"One what?" Hermione asked, apart from alarm, feeling some confusion.

"_One what?_" Draco mimicked her. "A dance of course; can't spend the night with one from you, can I?"

Without waiting for Hermione to even agree, Draco grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her into a dance. The song was slow and delicate, a ballad that Hermione was sure to like.

_Once upon a time there was a girl  
__Who in her early years she had to learn  
__How to grow up living in a war that she called home  
__Never knew just where to turn for shelter from the storm_  
_It hurt me to see the pain across my mother's face  
__Every time my father's fist would put her in her place  
__Hearing all the yelling I would cry up in my room  
__Hoping it would be over soon_

"Can I ask you somethin-" Hermione began, looking at Draco. The words of this song had brought up something Hermione wondered about for a while.

"No,"

"I can't?" Hermione looked bewildered. Draco shook his head and avoided her eyes.

"No. That's the answer to your question," he told her, looking up at the ceiling, frowning thoughtfully.

_Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same  
__And I still remember how you kept me so afraid  
__Strength is my mother for all the love she gave  
__And every morning that I wake  
__I look back at yesterday  
__And I'm Ok_

_I often wonder why I carry all this guilt  
__When it's you that helped me put up all these walls I've built  
__Shadows stir at night through a crack in the door  
__The echo of a broken child screaming, please no more  
__Daddy don't you understand the damage you have done  
__For you it's just a memory, but for me it still lives on_

"How did you know what I was going to ask?" Hermione challenged him. Draco gave her a look that said it all.

"I could guess," he answered dryly.

"Sorry,"

"What for?" Hermione didn't reply for a moment. What was she sorry for? Really, she had a clue, but no concrete answer. So she just shook her head and continued dancing.

_Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same  
__And I still remember how you kept me so, so afraid  
__Strength is my mother for all the love she gave  
__Every morning that I wake__I look back at yesterday  
__It's not so easy to forget  
__All the marks you left along her neck  
__When I was thrown against cold stairs  
__And everyday afraid to come home  
__In fear of what I might see next_

"For butting into your own personal business," she finally said, looking up at Draco, determinedly staring him straight in the eyes.

"It doesn't matter. I wasn't ever physically abused and Father never mistreated Mother,"

"What abou-"

"The only abuse I ever endured from my parents was always emotional and not at all very much. It's different; something you can't understand unless you've been through it,"

"Oh," Hermione was feeling exceedingly stupider by the second. Here Draco was, pouring out his heart... sort of. And all Hermione could come up with was an 'oh'. Hermione wondered what it would have been like, Draco's life.

"Even I sincerely don't wish it on you," Draco added absentmindedly.

"Does anyone understand?" Hermione asked cautiously, wanting to know if anyone had similar sufferings to Draco. She was getting pretty freaked out at how Draco was so easily reading her mind, answered unasked questions and said a hundred words with one look at the moment.

"Sirius does... we talked. Don't think about it Hermione," he told her quietly yet firmly. There wasn't a trace of guilt or sadness in his voice; it was just it's usual slow, quiet coldness.

_Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same  
__And I still remember how you kept me so afraid  
__Strength is my mother for all the love you gave  
__And every morning that I wake  
__I look back at yesterday  
__And I'm Ok  
__I'm Ok_

(Song: _I'm Ok_ by Christina Aguilera from the album **Stripped**)

"Why shouldn't I?" Hermione asked Draco. Why shouldn't she think about it? It was useless to tell her not to, because she had already started.

Draco smirked. "Because I'm ok," he whispered to Hermione before letting her go and walking off. Hermione stared after him in amazement, watching the boy.... no, the _man_, saunter away in his usual trademark way. She saw how un-put off he was, still completely fine, even after such a conversation. And then Hermione realized it took a lot more than that to penetrate his shield, the wall built around him for protection.

* * *

End chapter 12 

Don't own the songs, obviously Sorry if they're incorrect; blame it on the internet and its un-reliability.

I'm completely aware Draco is not a girl, even if the lyrics of _I'm Ok_ imply a girl. The song fits, get over the detail

These next few chapters may not be my usual length, but I've grouped them together specially.

Yeah, the usual Ball type thing. But it's a casual party, not some huge event with the whole school. I tried to escape that plot cliché or down-dress it a bit. Speaking of which, I know people usually spend about 10 paragraphs on outfits and such, so I tried to keep that to a minimum too. As for the guys' out fits… did you catch the Gryffindor colours? Hehehe

Blade-Claven: Hm… Lily's POV for Interludes. Didn't really think about it. Probably would have been good. Anyway thanks very much!

Gwynn-Potter: well I hope this keeps you happy for a while. Enjoy!

Avadne


	14. My Beautiful Friend

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Chapter 13: **My Beautiful Friend

(A/N: I recommend you actually _read_ the lyrics to the songs, not just skip over them like I usually do. They have meaning)

After a not-so-cheerful dance with Draco, Hermione looked around. She grabbed some punch and took a seat. Seconds later, Lily sat down next to her.

"Having fun?" she asked casually, looking at Hermione.

"It's not what I expected," Hermione answered truthfully. Lily smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I never expect things anymore; that way, you don't get disappointed," Lily answered wisely.

"Good theory; might try it," Hermione's brain had instantly gone into think mode as she turned the idea around in her head.

"But then again, I'm pretty sure _someone_ here expects a dance from you, apart from James," Lily hinted before standing up abruptly and walking off. Before Hermione even had the chance to ask who it might be.

But Hermione didn't have to wait very long for her answer. Mere minutes after Lily left the seat beside Hermione, someone else took it. A tall, tanned someone, with tousled sandy hair and wolfishly amber eyes.

"So, does this live up to the parties you guys had before? If you _had_ parties, that is…" Remus grinned at Hermione cheekily.

"Actually, I _am_ a bit disappointed," Hermione began, playing Remus. Remus widened his eyes innocently at Hermione and did his best to look disappointed. But that charade didn't last long.

"You haven't seen nothing yet. I don't suggest sampling one of those brownies, either," he told her conspirationally.

"Why ever not?" Hermione asked, fearing for her own personal safety.

"Oh, go for it… that is, if you want to get a strange urge to hit on the next person you see. We apologies for being unable to make sure it's someone from the opposite sex," Remus replied slyly as he watched a poor 6th year Hufflepuff girl, who happened to be standing near the charmed brownies, wink flirtatiously at one of the Slytherin girls.

"I think I get the picture," Hermione answered, laughing. Remus smirked and took Hermione's arm, silently leading her to a dance. Hermione didn't protest, instead responding easily. The song was soothing and Hermione found herself wanting to hum along.

_A million hearts are hurting 'cause they love you  
Close your eyes and feel their arms around you now  
Baby, just like me, I'm sure they're thinking of you  
I know somehow  
This will all work out_

There was a full moon on Christmas Eve. Hermione had studied the charts and saw that there was a full moon on Christmas Eve, on the 25th of December. And her heart went out to Remus. But he took no pity on himself, and hated it from others, so Hermione tried to shield her thoughts away from him. She carefully avoided his eye contact, yet tried to make it seem unimportant. But Hermione knew it wouldn't work.

_I stand upon the roof and stare at the starry sky  
For a reason why, or something I can do  
Everything that mattered yesterday  
So far now  
Away from you  
What you're going through_

"I know what you're thinking," he whispered carefully. Hermione looked at him sharply.

"What?" she asked. Hermione was sure there was something in the air tonight, something that allowed people to _know_, to be completely honest and altogether different, open.

"I just want to know why you pity me," Remus inquired carefully. He was baiting her, Hermione realized. Testing to see if she knew.

"I know Remus, about your secret," Hermione replied, equally careful. She felt Remus stiffen, so ploughed on. "But I don't care. You're still Remus to me."

"I suspected you knew. Thanks for still being here, then," he answered, bowing his head just a bit. Hermione tightened her arms around Remus, hugging him comfortingly.

_But just you hold on  
(You're gonna get through this)  
Oh yes you are  
Try to be strong  
(You know you can do this)  
'Cause baby, love will conquer all  
And it won't be long before  
You'll be dancing in the rain again_

_My beautiful friend_

"I'm sorry," Hermione whispered. Sorry for so many things; this wasn't the first time she had apologized tonight, for more than one thing.

_If you ever feel  
There's no strength left inside you  
Just know I'm by your side  
And hoping you're.  
Sometimes the moon is all  
The light you need to guide you  
Through the darkest night  
Let me be the light_

"I know; and don't. Don't pity me, because I don't need it. Pity someone who does," Remus replied wisely. Hermione was beginning to think that Remus could match Dumbledore for such ambiguous and meaningful quotes.

_But just you hold on  
(You're gonna get through this)  
Oh yes you are  
Try to be strong  
(You know you can do this)  
'Cause baby, love will conquer all  
And it won't be long before  
You'll be dancing in the rain again_

_My beautiful friend_

"How did you know?" Remus asked quietly. Hermione had been dreading this question and raked her brain for an appropriate answer that wouldn't raise too much suspicion. She decided to be honest… sort of.

"I could figure it out; the dates you went _away_, how you looked before and after it. Even the howling at night," Hermione answered softly, not wanting to alarm Remus.

"It's good you know; I was planning on telling you soon, anyway," Remus replied reassuringly. Hermione grinned at him and Remus smiled back.

_(You're gonna get through this)  
Don't you be afraid girl,  
Just hold on  
(You know you can do this)  
The only thing I'm sure of is that  
Love will conquer all  
And it won't be long before  
You'll be dancing in the rain again  
Won't you save me one dance with you then? _

_My beautiful friend  
(You're gonna get, you're gonna get through)_

(Song: _My Beautiful Friend_ by Guy Sebastian from the album **Just As I Am**)

"Thanks for the dance, Mi," he said, letting her go.

"You too, Remus. And thanks for trusting me," Hermione replied, leaning against the nearest table. Remus grinned mischievously, a sure sign that he was up to something.

"Who says I trust you?" Remus joked, but shook his head. There was a warm light in his eyes, like a child who had just been given candy.

"I-I thought y-yo-" Hermione pout on an innocent, heartbroken face, letting her eyes go wide and her voice stutter, just for fun.

"I think you've been spending a bit too much time around us," Remus laughed.

"Yeah, it's rubbing off!' Hermione exclaimed, shuddering in mock-horror.

"Well, I have pranks to set up, girls to dance with, fights to separate, even a few Slytherins to hex. See you," Remus waved a good-bye and disappeared into the ground, leaving Hermione alone again.

She relished the feeling, because she knew it was only a matter of minutes before another Marauder would come and pick her up.

--

Ok, the songs are still not mine.

I got an interesting e-mail from a reader; he was asking me how to pronounce my name. Ok, listen up everyone. It's said 'Ay-vah-nee'. I am perfectly aware it's probably the weirdest name anyone has ever seen, so I hope that clears some stuff up.

Thanks to the reviewers, as always you guys mean so much to me!

**Gwynn****-Potter:** please don't go _too_ crazy! Wouldn't want you crashing an insane asylum now would we? just kidding. Thanks for the review

**MarauderProngs****-Padfoot:** a cookie to you for putting me on your favourites. I love it when people do that. Thanks lots!

**Jaid**** Ziaen:** yes, Hermione/Dumbledore was totally disturbing. I shudder even thinking of it. I was just too damn curios to not read it… but I regretted it later. Don't worry about neglecting my fic, it's not _too_ upset. And yes, Draco and Sirius are almost (gasp) friends. And Draco is ok, even though he was hurt. However, I thought it would be a nice turning point if Regulus turned good. And we all want rat boy dead. Sigh. Thanks for the lovely, LONG review!

**Canadian Coco Chick:** yes, Christmas is pretty cool. My friend doesn't actually like Christmas, which I find extremely weird. Hmm… anyway, thanks for the review

**Kris-tina4:** thanks mate. The bond between Hermione and Draco is tight, but not romantic.

**megafreak** no, that's ok. Anyway the Slytherin thing is just too fun to write; I can't leave it alone. Besides, it's a good sub-plot and Draco was brought back in time for a reason! Fear not though, because James/Hermione interaction is coming up soon. First there's going to be Hermione/Marauder interaction, but chapter 16 is full frontal Hermione/James.

**I love James:** I think Aussies rock too… well, most. Ok, maybe _some_. But eh. Anyway thanks for your review; I guess Lily and James do belong together, but behold the wonders of fan-FICTION and Alternate Universes. hey, I know it can't happen, but humour me! Thanks for the review

Avadne


	15. Whisper

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Chapter 14: **Whisper

(A/N: I was out of town for a while, which is why I haven't updated. Many apologies. Happy New Year everyone)

(A/N 2: I recommend you actually _read_ the lyrics to the songs, not just skip over them like I usually do. They have meaning)

Hermione was having a great time so far; a ball like this was every girls dream, she presumed. It was all about buying a beautiful, _expensive_ dress, playing around with your hair and make-up until they were completely perfect and finding a date. The fun was then further increase by the fact that this was hosted by the Marauders, ensuring that there would be extra excitement along the way.

After dancing with Draco and Remus, Hermione had a feeling each of the Marauders would want a dance. Pete was next, it seemed. That meant after him, it was only Sirius… and James.

"Hey, Mi," Pete greeted her casually, grinning and standing next to her with a cup of punch in his hand. His head was turning around and Hermione could only assume that he was scanning the crowd with his eyes, hidden behind the _Men In Black_ sunnies.

"Hi Pete," Hermione replied cheerfully, also looking about. "How's the big party going for you?"

"Pretty good, I'll say. We definitely did a way better job than those idiots who hosted the bash last year," Pete mock-bragged, puffing out his chest in an exaggerated movement of boasting. Hermione had to laugh at his proud expression and amused demeanour.

"So, how many girls have fawned over you tonight?" Hermione asked, grinning down at him. Pete blushed slightly but also smiled at the question.

"None so far, sadly, but I'm still open," he said jokingly

"I'm sure," Hermione replied with a knowing grin. Pete grinned back, this time somewhat shyly.

"Would you like to dance?" Pete asked, nervously running a hand through his spiked hair. He was quick to add, "Friends only of course." Clearly, he didn't want Hermione or James getting the wrong idea.

"Sure," Hermione was slightly doubtful, but accepted Pete's arm anyway; he had been a good friend so far, not doing anything that could have made her break trust... in _this_ time. How bad could one dance be? Hermione only hoped that he was more accomplished on the dance floor than Neville Longbottom had been. Ginny's feet had been sore for weeks, Hermione could remember.

_Catch me as I fall  
Say you're here and it's all over now  
Speaking to the atmosphere  
No one's here and I fall into myself  
This truth drives me  
Into madness  
I know I can stop the pain  
If I will it all away_

The song just had to top it off, didn't it? It started off a bit more rock-ish than the others, but then a heavenly voice began to sing. Hermione felt a natural hesitation in dancing with Pete. Although what he would do in the future, and there was no way of making that up, even this boy had redeemable qualities. Not to mention Hermione had to act as if nothing was up. So she distanced herself as far as possible from him without making it look suspicious.

_Don't turn away  
(Don't give in to the pain)  
Don't try to hide  
(Though they're screaming your name)  
Don't close your eyes  
(God knows what lies behind them)  
Don't turn out the light  
(Never sleep never die)_

Back to rock. Calmness, then rock.Hermione was majorly freaked out by the song choices of tonight so far. While dancing with Draco and Remus, the songs had been extremely... relevant. It was as if they were picked out by a peeping-tom DJ that had a bit too much spare time on his hands. Pete was also looking as if deep in thought about something and Hermione could only hope that it did not involve deaths, Death Eaters, betrayal and Voldemort.

_I'm frightened by what I see  
But somehow I know  
That there's much more to come  
Immobilized by my fear  
And soon to be  
Blinded by tears  
I can stop the pain  
If I will it all away  
If I will it all away_

Unexpectedly, Pete wasn't such a bad dancer. Maybe one of the other Marauders had taught him or something. But strangely enough, Hermione found herself enjoying this; Pete had done nothing wrong yet, nothing that could have made Hermione hate him. And even though he was a nervous, stuttering mess sometimes, he was a good guy... at the moment, anyway. Not in the future. But this isn't the future, Hermione reminded herself. That's what she had to focus on.

_Fallen angels at my feet  
Whispered voices at my ear  
Death before my eyes  
Lying next to me I fear  
She beckons me  
Shall I give in  
Upon my end shall I begin  
Forsaking all I've fallen for  
I rise to meet my end_

Pete grinned at Hermione. He was a bit shorter than her, so it was Hermione that looked down on him. She grinned back and found to her surprise, that the smile wasn't as forced as she originally thought it would be. Pete looked so proud of himself too; Hermione couldn't help it. He had just made some very bad choices. And even though they were unforgivable, no one was perfect. Some just chose better paths than others.

_Don't turn away  
(Don't give in to the pain)  
Don't try to hide  
(Though they're screaming your name)  
Don't close your eyes  
(God knows what lies behind them)  
Don't turn out the light  
(Never sleep never die)_

(Song: Whisper by Evanescence from the album **Fallen**)

"I've been wondering... where did you learn to dance?" Hermione asked mischievously as Pete blushed slightly. He leaned forward so that no one else heard the answer before replying.

"My mum made me take classes when I was a bit younger," he mumbled quietly, but looked rather proud of himself anyway.

"Well, remind me to thank your mum," Hermione joked happily. Tonight was no night for sadness, but definitely one for humour, fun and joking around... even after the rather emotional dance with Draco. But the Marauders tended to set a mood of playfulness and Hermione wasn't about to let it get away.

"Sirius is giving me pointed looks, so..." Pete trailed of, not nearly as nervous as usual. He was still grinning; had dancing with Hermione given him some confidence?

"Thanks for the dance, Pete," Hermione grinned at him. He was quick to return the smile; it hadn't been as bad as either expected. Pete's fear of dancing and Hermione's fear of... well, of Pete had been reduced to a manageable level pretty soon.

"You too, Mi. Now go over there before I'm slaughtered," Pete laughed. Hermione nodded and started towards Sirius. At the same time, Peter was still very happy. His self-esteem was soaring, so he decided to do something for himself. Heading over to a shy-looking, but pretty girl from Ravenclaw, he wished for luck.

--

Don't own the lyrics, obviously. Sorry if they're incorrect; blame it on the internet and its un-reliability. Those are NOT the complete lyrics; I cut out bits, or else it would have dragged on.

Monkeystarz, well, hello ) I'm quite pleased that you kept your promise! Also quite pleased that you liked my story so far, and of course, here is another chapter. Yes, individual chapters for each dancing partner. Can you guess who is next (cough-James-cough)?

Jaid Zaien, well if you really want some, I can always send you a pack of those magic brownies… mmm, magic brownies. They would be fun, wouldn't they? LoL you were close for your guess, but there's still one other person before her dance with James…

megafreak I see I'm not the only one on vacation? Good! LoL I like that YOU like that I'm mixing stuff up. It's quite fun! Anyway I wont keep you, you should go write more chapters yourself (hint, hint!).

Kris-tina4, LoL to you too Kris-tee-nah! Hehehe. No there's only 1 Ay-vah-nee in my class… probably in the whole world, now that you mention it (sigh). It's so hard being different LoL. Anyway, thanks for your review :) have fun chewing down X-mas cake?

Hermione'sgirl, well I do hope you finish and like it!

Blade-Claven, thanks for both of your reviews… Hermione/Lily interaction? Damn! I completely forgot abut that! Looks like there's nothing more until chapter 19. Thank you very much for pointing this out, I am an idiot. As a thanks, have a brownie –although I swear these are safe to eat and wont make you hit on people… (cheeky grin here)-

Monkeys rok my sox, thanks for the long review nonetheless! Wish you good luck if you ever retype your Hermione/James fic, I'll be sure to read it! As for the interludes… guilty as charged; they are actually meant to keep you pondering. However, all will be revealed in the end, I swear. Thanks

Gwynn-Potter, congrats on being the first to review the last chapter! Here is a long awaited update for you!

Avadne


	16. Girls & Boys

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Chapter 15: **Girls & Boys

(A/N: I recommend you actually _read_ the lyrics to the songs, not just skip over them like I usually do. They have meaning)

Hermione had been enjoying herself immensely. After dancing with Pete, she had talked a bit with some other people, like Lily, checked out the joint in case of ay pranks and generally relaxed. The Ball was probably nearing 11p.m, Hermione guessed.

Dumbledore had set the limit as 3a.m being the absolute latest, but Hermione had a feeling it would end before that for most students, but be continued in the Gryffindor Common Room all night. Remus had confided in her that they had gotten extra _supplies_ in case the party ended early and they had to move.

Sirius was dancing casually with a few different girls at once, but looked as if he was sick of them. He scanned the crowd carefully before seeing Hermione standing alone. Hermione noticed this too and knew what was coming. Sure enough, a second later...

"Get your ass up here, Mi," he was shouting playfully. Hermione grinned in response and headed over. A new song was just starting up, a lot funkier and faster than what she had to dance with Pete.

"What's up, uh... Sirius...?" Hermione trailed off, looking at his clothing attire and laughing again. The first time had been a shock, but the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and more were still amusing. Apparently trying to start a new tradition, all the Marauders wore the same crazy ensemble of red and yellow, black shades and crazy hair. Pete, the chaste one, wore a white top underneath his buttoned down shirts, but James, Remus and Sirius decided they had nothing to hide... or maybe, lots to show off. And no one could say any of the Marauders looked normal. But Sirius managed to pull of the weird clothing with his usual, natural elegance. No one had said a word at the costume choices. Of course, Sirius's hair _did_ look like a potential weapon. Very hedgehog; overly long, needle-like spikes stuck up at all the odd angles. But as Sirius did his famous puppy-dog look, Hermione couldn't help but grin.

"You're dancing with me, that's what's up!" he said excitedly. His voice was louder than usually, to be heard over the music and like the true, charming gentleman he was, Sirius offered Hermione his arm, smiling hopefully. Hermione giggled slightly at his expression, but accepted his arm anyway.

_Educated, with money  
He's well dressed not funny  
And not much to say in most conversations  
But he'll foot the bill in all situations  
'Cause he pays for everything_

_Girls don't like boys, girls like cars and money  
Boys will laugh at girls when they're not funny_

Sirius spun her around wildly as Hermione laughed. This was the exact type of song Sirius would pick out. He put on his very best puppy-dog like expression.

"Do you really only like cars and money?" he asked, faking heartbreak. "Because I swear, I don't laugh when you're not funny. Ok maybe sometimes, but..." Hermione giggled and whacked him over the head lightly. Sirius grinned impishly and picked up the dance again.

_Paper or plastic,  
Don't matter she'll have it  
Vacations and shopping sprees these are a few of her favourite things  
She'll get what she wants if she's willing to please  
His type of girl always comes with a fee  
Hey now there's nothing for free_

_Girls don't like boys, girls like cars and money  
Boys will laugh at girls when they're not funny  
And these girls like these boys, like these boys like these girls  
The girls with the bodies like boys with Ferraris  
Girls don't like boys, girls like cars and money_

_Let's go!_

Hermione noticed the jealous stares she was getting from majority of the Hogwarts female population, but ignored them completely. She focused on dancing with Sirius, who was like her newest brother, as well as Remus... Pete wasn't quite there yet. Sirius was grinning form ear to ear; nearly all eyes were on them and he loved nothing more than being the centre of attention. Exuberant yet smooth moves, smiles and winks, loud music and Sirius was in his element.

_Girls don't like boys, girls like cars and money  
Boys will laugh at girls when they're not funny  
And these girls like these boys, like these boys like these girls  
The girls with the bodies like boys with Ferraris  
Girls don't like boys, girls like cars and money_

_All of these boys, and get all of these girls  
Are losing their souls in a material world  
All of these boys, and get all of these girls  
Are losing their souls in a material world_

(Song: _Girls and Boys_ by Good Charlotte from the album **The Young and the Hopeless**)

As the song ended, Sirius let go of Hermione, but did not walk away just yet. Hermione had things that she needed to know for her own safety and well-being.

"So, Sirius, tell me... is the punch spiked?" Hermione asked mockingly, grabbing the supplied punch that the Marauders had decided on. Pumpkin juice was out of the window for this event. Sirius grinned slyly, looking around in case a teacher was near them.

"Possibly. But I really expected you to expect more class from us, you know," he replied cheekily after making sure the coast was clear.

"I'm sure that I am entitled to know at least _one_ of your tricks for tonight. Pretty please?" Hermione widened her eyes and put on a begging look. Sirius grinned in response and leaned down, eager to spill a secret.

"Well... when it gets to midnight, I'd stay away from the balloons unless you want a _pleasant_ surprise that involves lots of whipped cream," Sirius told her conspirationally. Hermione grinned in reply, already imagining what might happen.

"Should I fear for my safety by then?" she asked playfully.

"Perhaps... but for now, Jamie is just begging for a dance, you know that?" Sirius told her as he let her go. The song had ended and he lightly pushed her into James's direction. After a final grin and wave, Hermione made her way, very nervously, over to her real date.

* * *

I hope everyone enjoyed that. The next chapter of course, is James… anyone who can guess the song or even the artist beforehand gets the chapter dedication. I'll give you a few hints; the artist is a she, reasonably young, quite popular; the song is, of course, unreleased and the album release was in 2003.

I got nominated for an award! I'm betting it's Annie who nominated me, to see what the awards are, go to the user look up of MuGgLeNeT27.

**On a very important note**, I apologies for keeping anyone waiting with either of my ongoing stories… but I have a good excuse. My computer blew up. Well, not my whole computer, but the internet part is GONE forever, or until we can get someone to fix it. This is the only thing stopping me from posting, I have chapters ready for you all and I'm really upset about the lack of internet access. I managed to post this chapter at my friend Annie's house (anniePADFOOT, if anyone wants to look her up). I reckon I'll get another post in before the 14th of January, but after that, Annie is going away for 2 weeks and I'll have literally no access to internet, at all. I'm _really_ sorry about this but it's no longer in my control.

I solemnly swear though that this will be finished. After the 14th of Jan, look for me in the beginning of February.

**On another very important note**, after reading a piece of work by a friend of a friend, I've come to realize a lot of things on the subject of reviewing. So here goes; I am now reviewing every single story I read, and I strongly suggest you guys all start doing the same. I have a number of regular reviewers for this story, but many more people whom I've never heard of have added me to their Alerts. People read and read and read stories, but don't bother writing a ten second review. Then when they write a story and expect loads of reviews, they're disappointed when they don't get that. All work should be acknowledged, even if it's a horrible story, you can at least give the author some constructive criticism.

Please think about this!

Apart from that, the lyrics aren't mine, sorry if they're incorrect; blame it on the internet and its un-reliability. If you've never listened to the song _Girls and Boys_, I strongly suggest you do; it's hilarious!

**squek****-the-soprano**, I'm glad you're enjoying this, I hope you continue reading and reviewing!

**Kris-tina4**, only one Kristina in your school? Well, I guess that's good. We had 5 Becky's at one stage. Disaster. Anyway again, I'm _really_, really flattered that you're going to use my name in your story and of course, I would simply love to date James! Hehehe. Of ocourse, still am amazed that people actually think my name is cool… however, thanks for your review; I simply can't stand it when people just leace Peter out of the action, pretend he doesn't exist. I've got this rant in my bio page, under **Harry Potter; I dislike**.

**Monkeystarz**, yeah you're right. Sirius is the dance of the chapter, James is next. It is rather confusing, the whole Harry-James thing, isn't it? Ah, thanks for the review mate!

Avadne


	17. Dangerously In Love 2

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Chapter 16: **Dangerously In Love 2

(A/N: THIS IS THE BIG ONE! I really recommend you actually _read_ the lyrics to the song **ESPECIALLY THIS CHAPTER! **Don't just skip over them like I usually do. **Oh yeah, no one guessed the song so no one gets the chapter dedication. Hehehe…**)

After her dance with Sirius, Hermione was almost ready to drop; trusting Sirius to drag her in and dance to a crazy, wild song that matched him perfectly. Now, Hermione had danced with Draco and all the Marauders... except the one that she came with. James. The same James that was approaching her at this second, the one that was now standing next to her as casually as can be.

"So where has my fair-maiden beauty been all night? Every single guy wants you, all the girls are jealous of you... damn, even Pete got a dance. And I'm out here, all alone, in the cold..." James said cheekily, grinning down at Hermione.

"Well, I've been hard to catch," Hermione replied somewhat nervously, knowing what was coming. It wasn't enough that there were butterflies in her stomach, but Sirius had thought it would be amusing if the Great Hall was swarming with them, representing everyone's nerves. Needless to say, it did not help at all.

"Then may I have _this_ dance?" James asked, taking out his hand like a true gentleman. Hermione couldn't help noticing that from his voice, he wasn't very nervous at all, unlike Hermione. But she smiled as elegantly as she could manage and nodded.

"Of course," she replied, accepting his hand gracefully. A new tune struck up... and Hermione suddenly knew that if not all the other songs she had danced to with the Marauders and Draco, this one was _definitely_ planned out. It just couldn't be coincidental. Looking around quickly, she noticed that Sirius, Pete, Draco and Remus had all given her the thumbs-up. And Remus had also added a tiny wink, looking largely pleased with himself; at that moment, Hermione would have bet her life that he had something to do with it. But right now, it just didn't matter; not when James Potter was standing in front of her, ready to draw her into a dance.

_I love you, I love you_

_Baby I love you  
You are my life  
My happiest moments weren't complete  
If you weren't by my side  
You're my relation  
In connection to the sun  
With you next to me  
There's no darkness I can't overcome  
You are my raindrop  
I am the sea  
With you and God, who's my sunlight  
I bloom and grow so beautifully  
Baby, I'm so proud  
So proud to be your girl  
You make the confusion  
Go all away  
From this cold and messed up world_

Hermione was in heaven. Just being so close to James was making the butterflies in her stomach go mental. But definitely in a good way. She and James had stayed silent so far, but there was no need for words. The song was expressing everything Hermione felt in the best possible way. She gave a silent thanks to Remus for doing what he could as a true friend, without even being asked.

_I am in love with you  
You set me free  
I can't do this thing  
A life without you here with me  
Cause I'm Dangerously In Love with you  
I'll never leave  
Just keep lovin' me  
The way I love you loving me_

Hermione rested her head lightly against James's chest and sighed happily. Could anything be better than this? She doubted it. For now, screw Dumbledore. Screw Draco. Screw all that time-zone stuff. It was only her and James, in this second. No one else mattered. Not the fact that she and Draco were stuck in a different time, not that she was lying to them all, not that she was currently fucking up her future existence by being with James and not even the fact that there were so many people she loved back home... or her other home; because Hermione knew that this was her home too, in every way.

And I know you love me  
_Love me for who I am  
Cause years before I became who I am  
Baby you were my man  
I know it ain't easy  
Easy loving me  
I appreciate the love and dedication  
From you to me  
Later on in my destiny  
I see myself having your child  
I see myself being your wife  
And I see my whole future in your eyes  
Thought of all my love for you  
Sometimes make me wanna cry  
Realize all my blessings  
I'm grateful  
To have you by my side_

"Have I told you yet that you look extremely beautiful?" James asked Hermione, eyeing her hair and face. Hermione looked up at him.

"Nope," Hermione replied; she seemed to get more and more nervous by the second.

"Well then, you look extremely beautiful," James told her charmingly. He grinned cheekily and Hermione laughed at his expression.

"Thanks, James," she whispered back, resting her head on him again.

_I am in love with you  
You set me free  
I can't do this thing  
A life without you here with me  
Cause I'm Dangerously In Love with you  
I'll never leave  
Just keep lovin' me  
The way I love you loving me_

_And I am in love with you  
You set me free..._

James pulled Hermione closer, looked into her currently tri-coloured eyes. Suddenly, Hermione felt ashamed. James wasn't even staring at her real eyes. But now was definitely not the time for guilt trips. Not when you had James Potter so close to you that your faces were practically touching. Not when you could feel him inhale and exhale. Not when you were being held by his strong arms. No way, now was not that time. Perhaps later, but Hermione could only focus on one thing at this moment; James Potter, and how much she wanted him, how much she needed him at this moment.

_Every time I see your face  
My heart smiles  
Every time it feels so good  
It hurts sometimes  
Created in this world  
To love and to hold  
To feel  
To breathe  
To love you_

Lowering his head even more, James, ever so softly, kissed Hermione. Ok, my mistake. There is something better than dancing with James. Kissing James gets that prize, Hermione thoughts, eyes closed and enjoying the feel of James's sweet, light kiss.

_Dangerously in love  
I am in love with you  
You set me free  
I can't do this thing  
A life without you here with me  
Cause I'm Dangerously In Love with you  
I'll never leave  
Just keep lovin' me  
The way I love you loving me_

James and Hermione had just paused the lip-lock, but a second later were back to it. James deepened the kiss slowly as Hermione moved her hands around to a more comfortable position. James could feel the softness of Hermione's lips on his, her soft skin against his hands and her graceful frame in front of him.

_Can't do this thing  
I love you , I love you, I love you  
I'll never leave  
Just keep on loving me  
I'm in love with you  
I can not do  
I cannot do anything without you in my life  
Holding me, kissing me, loving me  
Dangerously  
I love you  
Dangerously in love_

(Song: Dangerously In Love 2 by Beyonce Knowles from the album **Dangerously In Love**)

The song had ended, but Hermione was still clinging to James, as if her life depended on it. But at the moment, that's how she felt; he was like the air she breathed, without it she would die. Without James, she would die a slow, painful death.

Hermione wasn't ready to die right now.

James was holding Hermione in the same way, afraid to let go in case she disappeared, ran away. In case she left him without a second glance, a last word or a kiss goodbye. Because right now, he could not handle that; he couldn't handle watching the girl he believed to be the love of his life just leave. Without her, he would die.

And like Hermione, James wasn't ready to die.

--

After that dance, Hermione shared one more with each of the Marauders. Her second with James happened to be at around midnight. And Hermione berated herself for forgetting Sirius's words.

As midnight struck, James and Hermione were dancing slowly to another ballad like song. And they didn't notice that right next to them was a huge bunch of balloons.

BANG!

The noise echoed… or so Hermione thought. But that was just more and more of the balloons bursting. Seconds later, Hermione and James were covered head to toe in white, whipped cream. Hermione didn't know whether to laugh or whack each Marauder over the head.

She settled on laughing. James was also chuckling happily, licking his fingers of. He grabbed Hermione and pulled her closer, kissing her again and in the process getting off some of the whipped cream. Hermione giggled as she ran her hand through James's hair; now not only was it lethal, it was covered in the white substance.

A fast song struck up immediately as the balloons burst, so James shrugged and grabbed Hermione back into the dance. All around them, people were standing dumbfound, laughing, screaming or doing something equally unproductive. But Hermione did spot Sirius, Remus and Pete giving each other complicated handshakes in triumph.

She made a mental note to hex each one of them later. But that thought diminished as she spotted Draco and Marlene a few meters away, also covered in whipped cream. And they were also kissing… rather passionately. Maybe this prank did do some good.

--

The song had finished; after Hermione and James danced, there was still a good ½ hour of the dance left. Hermione spent one other emotional song with James, but a lot more fun, relaxed ones too. And now, the night was coming to a sad finish. Hermione gave a quick hug to Sirius, Remus, Draco and even Pete, who were all hastily leaving.

Most of the other people were also already clearing out, except the designed committee for cleaning up. Magically of course; the Hall was huge, but with magic, it would only take a few minutes to clear it. A few seconds if McGonagall would have lend a hand, but she had refused firmly; it was a teacher free event. Including clean-up.

"The end…" James said, looking around; the dance was over now. James and Hermione began walking to the Gryffindor Common Room, a fair bit behind everyone else.

"Of what?" Hermione asked, fearing the answer. Her insecurities were once again brought to the surface, but James, who sensed as much, grinned carelessly.

"Of tonight, of the dance. But not the end of this," he said; they were now at the portrait hole, but not quite ready to go in. Not before the final exchange, the one Hermione knew was coming.

"Thanks. And goodnight, James," Hermione relaxed at his answer and even gave him a soft, quick kiss before leaving. And as she turned away, she just caught his whisper.

"Goodnight, Mi," he replied softly, staring after her, but not following.

--

**First big thing is this;** I managed to get over to my friend's house (who, by the way, has much more reliable internet than mine) and post. However, she's going away for 2 weeks, so you won't be hearing from me for a while, unless I can find some sort of public computer. And even that is improbable. I am SO sorry about this; I wish it wasn't this way. I can guarantee this will be complete though!

**Also very important**, I've become a staff member of a C2 community focusing on the less popular ships of Hermione & someone. This includes the Marauders, Fred or Geroge Weasley, etc. It's really cool, if you have any stories you feel should go there, let me know.

These past few chapters may not have been up to the usual length; I tried to make it as close as possible without dragging things out. But it will go back to 2000. Still don't own the lyrics, obviously. Sorry if they're incorrect; blame it on the internet and its un-reliability. Yes, bits were cut out; if you have a problem with that… well, bite me!

I know I've concentrated on Hermione. Draco isn't the main character in this. He's simply another character for sub-plots. But the story is mainly meant to be based around Hermione, with inserts of others. That doesn't mean I don't like Draco anymore… I do! I am also aware I'm completely shockingly atrocious in describing moments, like kissing. Sorry… romance isn't really my thing, not in explicit detail anyway. I so did not want to go into the 'she could feel his tongue on hers' and all that other shit.

For the past few 'dancing' chapters, I've tried using songs that were previously unreleased, or not well known, as I think that seeing one million song fics to say, My Immortal by Evanescence gets old. How about something a bit different? That didn't always work, though. I screwed up with Sirius and Girls and Boys, but eh

Avadne

Reviews:

Blade-Claven, ah, a surge in the electric. Horrible. Lack of internet does suck. I hope you like this song for James… I'm also very glad that my review rant got though to someone. Admittedly, I did get a few new reviewers this chapter. However, without my internet, looks like I'll be doing a lot less reading. Unfortunately. Hope fully you can wait for a while…

megafreak, yeah sucks about the computer, eh? Computers are evil, I've decided; I'm having problems, you're having problems. Grr! Er, for your question, I assume that Wormtail's name is Peter, but Pete is the usual nickname for Peter, just like Jess is for Jessica or something. That's why I refer to him in the story as Pete. Where I come from, everything is shortened down as much as possible because people are lazy (pathetic, but funny). Thanks for the review though

Deepseadoplphin11, I'm glad you liked the song! Thanks very much for the praise, there's not that many chapters left to go…

Surrounded By Idiots, of course I'll continue! I just won't be posting for 2 weeks… but after that I swear, I'll do my best to get back on track. Hell, I'll even save up to get new internet. I'll get a job if I have to! Yes, there is very few Hr/J… if you like rare Hormone pairings, check out the C2 community I staff! LoL I'm terrified of evil bunnies of doom…

LaxGoalie, I really liked Sirius too. I'm sorry you didn't like the song, my aim wasn't to portray him as shallow, but as fun loving and a jokester. He wasn't all serious about the words of the song, it was just for fun. LoL if I made him and Hermione dance any longer, a certain James would've gotten jealous. I promise to send you at least one review once I can get back to internet!


	18. Chapter 17: A Truth

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Chapter 17: **A Truth

The next morning, Hermione got up early especially. She got ready before all of the other girls, before breakfast and everything. Walking down the stairs, she spotted who she was searching for. James, the early bird form the boy's dormitory, was seated comfortably in his favourite armchair, looking absentmindedly out of the window.

Hermione, feeling bold sneaked up behind him and showed herself to him with a 'boo!' and a wide smile. James grinned and pulled her onto his lap. Hermione rested her head against his shoulder and smiled.

"James... last night was amazing," Hermione whispered. "The most beautiful event I've ever been to."

"It's because I was there, wasn't it?" James joked, casually looping his arms around Hermione and pulling her in a bit closer to him.

"Actually, yeah," Hermione admitted honestly. James smiled down at her and Hermione leaned in and impulsively hugged him tighter, as if he was going to disappear any second. As if he was going to leave… or as if _she_ was going to leave. Because she would have to and soon, even though she really didn't want to; now Hermione was depressing herself.

She could already feel the tears well up in her eyes, her gaze turn to _need_ as she looked at James. She could feel the tension that would be here if she were to break away, to run away. In that moment, every thing was suddenly so much clearer; especially the realization of how much she loved James now, she knew she loved him. And how untruthful she was being to him and to the others. But she hugged James tightly anyway, not wanting to ever let go.

And they sat like that there, for a good half hour, just enjoying each other's essence. But this perfect bonding moment of emotion value was, as they always are, ruined. This time, none other than Sirius Black was the ruiner in question; freshly coming out of the boys' dormitory. He urgently gestured for her to come over to him. Hermione shook her head strongly.

"We have to talk," Sirius mouthed even more urgently. Hermione shook her head again, signaling to him later and that now was not a good time. But Sirius was persistent, motioning her over here.

"I better head up, I still have one other thing to do. See you at breakfast, I think," Hermione whispered to James. He nodded, kissing her cheek. Hermione then walked over to the other black haired boy angrily.

"Can it wait?" she asked, annoyed. Sirius shook his head, grabbed her arm and dragged Hermione off, rather uncomfortably, to the nearest empty room.

--

"Who are you?" asked Sirius. Hermione squirmed slightly, but Sirius held her tightly. _Screw breakfast; I have bigger _problems, Hermione thought to herself. She cringed, remembering that she told James she's see him at breakfast. And first lesson, DADA… well, that was probably also down the drain.

Hermione loomed around desperately. Sirius let go of her and she immediately ran for the door of this strange room. It wouldn't budge. No trouble; _Alohomora_ was always a handy little spell. But at the moment, it wasn't working.

"Let me out, Sirius," she demanded. Sirius shook his head, determination evident in his eyes.

"Not until I know who or what you are and why you're here," Sirius replied stubbornly.

"You don't understand; I can't!" Hermione yelled out. She realized her mistake too late. Sirius's eyes widened.

"So we were right!" Hermione whimpered slightly, but Sirius pressed on. "Is that what you really look like? Why did Hunter call you Granger and why did you call him Malfoy? And what's your connection with Hunter… if that's his name, which I highly doubt. Tell me, damnit! You won't get out of here until you do," Sirius warned her, his eyes narrowing. Hermione sighed. She knew what had to be done… but hopefully, she wouldn't have to reveal everything just yet.

"My name is Hermione Jane Granger. I was born in 1980 and started at Hogwarts 11 years later. Hunter, who is actually Draco Hunter Malfoy, and I were the Head Boy and Girl of 1997. I'm a Gryffindor and he's a Slytherin," Hermione reluctantly told him. Sirius's eyes were round with surprise.

"You-you-you," Sirius began, but Hermione cut him off.

"We had no choice. An accident sent us back 20 years. And we know you," Hermione said urgently. A cloud of confusion settled upon his handsome face.

"What do you mean, you know us?" he asked.

"In the future, we _know _you. That's why it's so hard, because we know what happens and we can't save you…" Hermione was horrified. Had she really said that? Her earlier resolution not to reveal too much just yet was officially out of the window.

"Save me from what, Mi-Hermione?" he asked, his voice dangerously low. Hermione couldn't take it anymore; she broke down, sobbing. Sirius looked at her in horror; did he really overstep the mark like that? He grabbed Hermione and hugged her tightly, comforting her as best as he could.

"I think I'm in love with James," Hermione admitted. This brought a fresh wave of tears. "But I _can't_ love James, because if I do, he wont love her and _he_ won't be born," she rambled on. Sirius shook his head.

"Come on, Hermione, just tell me everything. You can trust me," he whispered soothingly. Hermione sighed; she was just about to do the very thing Dumbledore had told her _not_ to do at all costs. But she just had to; there was no way Hermione could go on with this secret-double agent type life. It was driving her and Draco both insane.

"On July 31, 1980, a boy was born. His name was Harry James Potter. His father was James. And his mother… was Lily," Sirius's eyes widened again. _Lily?_ "And Harry, he's… important. Without him, the wizarding world of the future; well, it would be gone,"

"Wait; is this Harry, your best friend Harry?" Sirius asked. Hermione nodded. "Harry, I-used-to-have-a-crush-on, Harry?" Hermione nodded again. She remembered telling Sirius a bit about her two friends she had, Harry and Ron. And Sirius kind of put two and two together, figured out a bit of Hermione's feelings.

"Maybe that's why I like James so much; they're practically twins, but James… he's more energetic, brighter. Harry's gone through so much and I can't really blame him for being kind of gloomy and depressed. But James…" Sirius was beyond shocked. He had suspected that Hermione had feelings for James, deeper than what she was showing. But in _love_? And this Harry…

"So what do you mean, save us?" he asked. Save us… it sounded like they died or something. But how would that happen?

"I can't, Sirius. If I do, you'll prevent it. They might be saved, but thousands of other lives will be gone," Hermione sobbed. This was just too hard; no person should have to go through this type of thing.

"Hermione, you're talking in riddles. Just start at the beginning. I won't let it affect the future," Sirius whispered. Hermione was broken; should she get this weight of her chest or stay silent like she was meant to? Hermione had always been one for rules, but lately that tolerance was getting smaller and smaller. Now was one of those times.

"Ok, but you can't tell. I don't know if you realize what's at stake here; more than you can ever imagine. Harry was born. But a year later, on October 31, 1981, something terrible happened. Voldemort, who had steadily been gaining power found the Potters. He killed James immediately and Lily a few minutes later. They were, of course, against him and very prominent in the battle. And he turned his wand on Harry. But he couldn't do it; the spell backfired and hit Voldemort instead. Barely alive, he fled. Harry ridded the world of Voldemort for more years," Hermione's voice was cracking and changing pitches frequently. It was too hard; Lily and James dead, Harry…

"They-they-they… _died_?" Sirius asked, horrified. Hermione nodded sadly. "NO! They wouldn't have! They _can't _have!" Sirius yelled. But then a though struck him; something here was missing. "How did Voldemort find them?" he asked in a very controlled voice.

"They were b-betrayed," Hermione quivered. The look on Sirius's face was murderous; anyone who had wasn't sure about Sirius dying for his friends would have had their doubts disappear at that moment.

"WHO?" Sirius yelled out.

"Their Secret Kee-" Hermione started nervously, but Sirius cut her off.

"WHO WAS IT?" He screamed, jumping up, wand out. Hermione gave a cry; she should have known this would happen.

"NO, Sirius! You can't, you promised you wouldn't tell!" She yelled out, grabbing him and forcing him down with much difficulty.

"But they're _dead. _They were _killed_!" Sirius protested fiercely. Suddenly, as if the news really hit him that his best friend would die, he collapsed.

"Sirius, they're not dead. Not yet. And I can't, I won't, tell you who the Secret-Keeper was. Don't you see? The death of Lily and James saves the world!" Hermione screeched. She knew it would be hard for Sirius, but he had to accept it.

"Why couldn't it be me?" he mumbled desperately. "Anyone but them."

"Sirius, it _had_ to happen. I know how you feel; I've seen Harry go through the same thing from the first time I met him. He should have had the chance to be normal, to be happy! Instead he's got the fame he doesn't want, people staring at him everywhere he goes. And he's faced things that no-one should, especially not boys like him. He was still a boy, only 11 at his second ever encounter with Voldemort. But Harry thwarted his plans again, delaying Voldemort's return even more. And in second year, he saved us again. In fourth year he witnessed Voldemort's return. And he saw another boy die at Voldemort's hands. He _dueled_ with the Dark Lord. Fifth year too, he saw so many things, _too_ many things that a 15 year old should not be going through. He should have been worrying about girls or exams. Instead he was worrying about the whole world. And he saw his godfather die. You have no idea how long he blames himself for that. He's not innocent or carefree like boys should be; he's got so many burdens on his shoulders, so much power, so much darkness." Hermione burst out, not stopping until the end. Sirius was amazed; she spoke with such passion that Sirius was beginning to understand.

"But you love James. And James… he loves you too. So what about Lily?" Sirius was mainly talking to himself, but he did catch the strangled noise Hermione made. A dreamy expression crept onto her face.

"He loves me?" she asked in a trance like state.

"Of course he does. But if he loves you, he won't marry Lily," Sirius told her. Even talking hurt; his best friend was going to die. For the greater good, of course, but James was going to _die._

"Oh, this is such a mess," Hermione mumbled. What was she going to do? She had screwed up Lily and James's chances forever; even if she left, they wouldn't forget. Sirius only stood up, unlocked the door and then sat back down.

"You can leave whenever you want. But you can tell me everything too; I won't break your trust,"

--

Sirius had avoided Hermione like the plague after he left the room; against her own will, Hermione had stayed, told him everything. And now, she too wasn't overly keen to see him. But no such luck; as Hermione sat in an armchair, 'reading' a book, Sirius drew nearer and nearer. There was a glint of comprehension in his grey eyes, one that worried Hermione a lot.

"It was Pettigrew," Sirius said gravely, more of a statement, making sure no one was too close or overhearing. Hermione gave him a strange look inside praying that he didn't mean what she thought he meant.

"What are you talking about, Sirius?" she asked, faking confusion. _Please don't let him have figured out that_ _the killer of Lily and James Potter was Peter Pettigrew_, Hermione silently begged.

"He was their Secret-Keeper. He killed them," Sirius's voice held zero emotion; apparently, this was his Slytherin side, his Black family side. There was nothing on his face, in his eyes, through his voice or body language. It was like a mask had slipped over all of Sirius's emotions and, frankly, it was creeping Hermione out.

"Sirius…" Hermione began tentatively, not wanting to suddenly startle him out of his disturbing funk.

"I didn't come for confirmation. I came because I thought you should know that _I_ know," Sirius said in the same flat, empty tone. One that was, frankly, freaking Hermione out; she wanted the other Sirius, hyper, cheerful and charming.

"You cannot let this change _anything_, Sirius. No matter what," Hermione said urgently, nodding her head to signal that Sirius was right in his assumption. Sirius also nodded in agreement, although his eyes were raging a storm.

"No change. I get it," he said, unusually solemn. Hermione hated this; Sirius was not meant to be so… _serious_, so silent and grave. It just wasn't right. And it was all Hermione's fault.

She had to find Draco. Urgently

--

**End Chapter 17**

There's still a few more days till Annie comes back and I have some computer access through her, but I did brave it and walked into the public library… only to walk right out. It was not a pretty sight; the library's only computer was taken by this fat guy looking at porn. I'm pretty sure that's illegal in a _public_ library, but I wasn't about to argue with him, the librarian was already going off at him and he was looking murderous.

But I did stumble across an internet café; took a bus to a better part of the state. The ride took over an hour, mind you, and it cost a helluva lot of money, but I'm here and I managed an update. Look out for another one in about a week, hopefully.

I briefly got the chance to check my emails and found over 50 new items in my inbox. Sorting through them was quite hellish and I haven't had the chance to read up & review on any of the author alerts. Sorry. To all my e-friends, I don't have the time or money to write at the moment, sorry about that. I will be sending you guys all some emails eventually though.

For this chapter, I imagine Sirius could come to the conclusion of the whole traitor deal. As much as Hermione tried, she didn't QUITE act normal around Peter.

In my current situation, I don't really have the time to do review replies, nor am I in the right place, as this is costing me major bucks for every minute. I'm really sorry, I will reply to the reviews next chapter. I do distinctly remember a few things I was meant to mention though:

- The site of my C2 staff. Easy; just go to my user lookup (there's a link at the top of this page) and click on the C2 Communities link. Looking for more staff members… (My memory has failed me; I'm sorry, but I just can't remember who asked about this)

- The whipped cream scene was very fun to write. I love my magical food… (that was for **Blade-Caven**)

- I have kept writing so there are a few pre-written chapters for this to come, I'm just perfecting them. AND I'm tentatively working on a maybe-sequel… (I'm pretty sure that was **megafreak**)

- **Kris-tina4**, your comment was one of the ones that stood out the most; Harry James Potter will most definitely be born. You'll see it all in the end!

- I think it was **Victoria**-something (some numbers or letters. Mind blank) I know I got the Weasley ages wrong, someone else pointed that out too. Sorry. I guess since this whole story is defiantly AU (you'll see in the end), that little fact can just fall under the AU part also

- **Mac**, you made the largest impression on me. Although I found your review a bit funny, at the same time I am deeply impressed and in total admiration of you for having such perfect grammar skills. Thanks for pointing all that out and the brief praise at the end; I may later go back and change all the title stuff. I'll just have to stay grammatically incorrect for now, so sorry about that. By the way, 'Just shoot me!' is a great show.

Avadne


	19. Interlude 3: Loyal

**Just Too Tempting**

By** Avadne**

**Interlude 3:** Loyal

_Some things are meant to be. Others are meant to be accepted. Like the fact that will never have my flower. It just wasn't going to happen. Ever. Why should it? Why should _she_ love _me_? There is no logic behind it, and there is no sense. So why? Although I understand why I shouldn't have her, it still hurts me everyday that I see her. But I will move on, even if it kills me._

_Getting over this is hard. Moving on from such a jewel shouldn't be easy. I think the worst part is, she never knew. Never knew that apart from _him_, there was another man that loved her. Another man that wouldn't have gotten a chance. She won't ever know the depth of my feelings towards her._

Yes, I love her. Loved her. I don't anymore. Ok, that's not entirely true; I will love her forever. She's something unforgettable, something you can't stop loving. But I've moved on, moved on from my infatuation with her, my obsession. I must stop this _thing_ before it goes too far.

_Though I will forever be loyal to Lily, I must move on because I can't spend the rest of my life like this. I can't spend my life mourning the fact that she is not with me. I have to move on, live my life without her. I must devote myself to something else, and for now, that something else is just me and my friends. Just me and living my life the best I can, with my friends._

-

_I always knew I was lucky to have such friends. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. Our bond was something else, something I'm eternally thankful for. Not everyone is blessed with such people in their lives. We are friends forever, never alone. We do everything together and help each other out without even asking. It's amazingly beautiful._

_While my amazing friendship with them had obvious upsides, it also had a downside. With them, I didn't get out much to other people. We were a closed clique, friends to one another, but not much association or close friendship with others. Sure, I had a few other very casual friends, but one or two just didn't count. _

Although I love my friends and I would die without them, it's wonderful to get out there and meet new people that I have such a bond with. It's different with the pair, because they are new here and don't know it all. They had no one but each other, and they were in different houses, so they didn't see each other that much anyway, apart from meals and the occasional shared lesson. Even then, it was awkward, with the Gryffindor and Slytherin rivalry.

_While they are the ones I will be forever loyal too, I can't help but feel the same with Mi. Maybe Hunter too, but especially Mi. Because she came here not knowing anyone but Hunter. And she broke out closed clique open so easily, became such a comfortable member in so little time, that I can't help but remember her forever too._

-

_Why is it always the new ones? Why is it always them that steal away something? In this case, she stole away my heart. No, not really. I gave it willingly, knowing I may get hurt. For her, it was worth it. Every second of being near her was worth every second of pain it might have caused._

_I was always cautious about love. Never fully gave my heart, until I was sure. I spent quite a while pondering about Lily before making a move. And even then, it was all in a laugh. I knew she would never accept my offers, as long as I was me. As long as I acted like myself._

With her, it was different. I had a chance, in my eyes. But it was a chance that I was wary of. There was a mystery about the newness of her, one that held me back. A secret, it was. And it still is. And I still wonder what it may be, I await the day where she tells me.

_Now I know that she is the one that I was mean to give me heart to anyway. Lily won't matter, because I have _her_. I have the one that I want, and she wants me back. No matter what, I'll stay true and loyal to her, like I know she will to me. Because even though I know there is a secret here in this equation, it won't tear me away from her. No matter what it is, my feelings are too strong now._

-

_I was the first to know their 'secret identity'. It was more than shocking, much more. How many people find out that their best friend and his wife dies because they were betrayed by one of your closet friends? That you're framed for the handiwork and rot in Azkaban for countless years? That you godson grew up in a family that hated him, away from the magical community and his won kind? _

_It hurt so much, knowing there was nothing I could do, nothing I could say. Because if I did, they would be saved, but millions of others would die a slow, painful death. The wizarding world would be over the edge of disaster. It had to happen; they had to die to save others._

Loyalty is the trait of a Hufflepuff. They might have the reputation as the lower house, but they're a loyal bunch. And I would have done ok there; apart from bravery, I guess loyalty is my thing. Loyalty to the ones I love, because I never got it when I was a child. I learn it all from my friends, and not at all from my family.

_Now that I know what would have happened, I will stay loyal to them while I can. Because while their story is so shocking and hard to believe, it's true. No one could make up such anguish, bitterness and raw emotion on the spot, or even practiced. It's something that cannot be faked. So from what I learn, I will stay loyal to them also and forever._

-

_This always happens. I have to lie, lie to the ones I love the most. Now is no exception. I have my secret, the secret of how I got here, what I really am. But I can't reveal it yet, it's much too dangerous. Even though I would like nothing more than just to yell it out, I keep my suffering silence._

_Even telling that one person was huge. Getting it off my shoulders felt incredible, but it wasn't the smartest thing to do in such a situation. It's good that he knows, but I wish it was someone else. Someone that I have even deeper feelings for. I wish that _he_ knew._

I wait for the day I can tell him. I know it could be the breaking point of everything, of my happiness and his, but I don't care. I need to tell him in order to feel real. To feel whole, to feel like a person. Because right now I feel like a monster. A lying, cheating monster that harms everyone with even one word or one look. A monster that doesn't deserve life, let alone anything else that I have.

_Until I tell him, I'll do what I can. I'll be loyal to him, and to them in every way. Except that one way, the one that could ruin everything. But I don't care, because I need him, and I'ill stay true. My loyalty won't disappear for him, ever. Even if we break, my loyalty for him will stay as whole and true as ever before._

-

_She is one that intrigues me, intrigued me from the start. Her beauty is undeniable, a strange collection of odd ingredients that created something amazing, something out of a dream. And then it doubled. But even her twin won't match up; for some strange reason, no one can compare to her. No one ever will._

_Ever since I first heard her captivating voice, so soft and slow, seductive yet lacking any emotion, I was mesmerized. And I knew how deep in I was, how I would never get out until the end of my life. And if hers was to come before mine, I would willingly follow, just to stay and listen._

The chemistry between us is clear and we both know it. It can't be denied. I won't contradict that she's beautiful. I won't deny that she's loyal to me. That she's an incredibly mysterious person. And I'll tell her that, as soon as I get the chance. She already knows how powerful she is, and how beautiful, but not how magnetic or effortlessly charming in her own, unique way.

_She came to me. She has the respect in the Dark House, for no apparent reason to her. But she is so mesmerizing that she doesn't need a reason; her money, the purity of her blood is just an excuse. And it always was. And she stayed loyal to the house, and more importantly, to me. Never to the cause, or Them, but to me and me alone. No other person in the Dark House got such willing loyalty._

-

**End 18**

Apologies for the lateness. Ya'll know my reasons. School is being a bitch, as usual.

Massive shout out to ShadowOnTheMoon for being my 100th review. I NEVER EVER thought I would actually reach so many reviews. Very proud!

I'm still contemplating; this may be the last Interlude… but there's a possibility there will be one more. Either way, the journey is coming to a close end. Just in case this is the last Interlude, the thought order is as follows:

1; Peter  
2; Remus  
3; James  
4; Sirius  
5; Hermione  
6; Draco

Don't forget to press that shiny review button… which isn't really very shiny, as Annie just pointed out, reading over my shoulder. I guess those must be my hallucinations again. The point is, review!

Krstna, I'm yet to get to your updates, but things are a bit hectic, as always. Yeah, Sirius rocks… haha, I can't wait for your reaction of the very end. Fun

Monkeystarz, sorry about the lack of emails/reviews/general contact. Grammatically incorrect does indeed rock. Buh-bye

DarkKestrelArwenSilkeQueen, it would be quite amusing if Malfoy killed her, wouldn't it? No, but close. Just kidding. Hope you like

Surrounded By Idiots, I can handle the money… just means I'm broke for like the next 2 months. Lol. Fat guy looking at porn was creepy indeed. Thanks for the review

megafreak, also am still yet to get to your updates, which kind of sucks as I miss reading your great work. I hope Pettigrew dies slowly painfully too… oh, wait, I can make that happen! Hahaha thanks

Tween Idol, love the name, firstly. Yeah, I've apologized about the Weasley age thing, but then again, it is an AU, so I think I'm ok.

Orange Em, thank you, your comments were really flattering and nice to read. loved them, and I hope you keep liking this story.

ShadowOnTheMoon, aha, lucky reviewer number 100. Thanks very, very much. You made my day.

**Avadne**


	20. Chapter 19: A Display

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Chapter 19: **A Display

Hermione opened her eyes and woke up to the sound of loud thumping. She groaned as someone shook her vigorously. Sitting up reluctantly, Hermione realized that that someone happened to be Lily, an expression of impatience on her face.

"Come on, Mi!" Lily yelled in exasperation, trying to drag Hermione out of bed. Without much luck, it seemed.

Hermione was just about to get up, but then fell back down.

"I'd really rather not," moaned Hermione as she remembered her first class of the day; History of Magic. She was regretting ever taking it.

"Come on, it won't be _that_ bad," Lily tried to coax Hermione away from the dorm and down for breakfast.

"Yeah, for you. You have, what, Runes? Completely enjoyable," Hermione replied, burying her head into her bed.

"Hey, it's not as great as it sounds, ok? I do have bloody _Black_ in my class, which makes it so much worse," Lily told Hermione. Hermione only grunted in response, too tired to defend Sirius. Usually, she would have been up and ready. But History of Magic first thing in the morning, plus all of the recent excitement had a different effect on Hermione. Now she just wanted to stay in her warm, comfortable bed and not face the world. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Lily scowl heavily. A second later, Lily had ripped the sheets off Hermione and literally dragged her off the bed, grabbing onto her leg.

"Lily!" Hermione exclaimed scandalously. Lily winked in response. Hermione sighed but got up and headed for the bathroom.

"You better hurry up! We still have to go to breakfast," Lily reminded Hermione.

"You go on ahead, I'm not really hungry… my stomach isn't very happy," Hermione told Lily, placing a hand on her churning stomach.

"Ok, well have fun in History!" Lily yelled wickedly before running off. Hermione sighed again and got herself ready for the day.

-

"Once again, we have _another_ major problem," Hermione said gloomily as she sat down with Draco in a deserted classroom. He had not been happy as Hermione dragged him away on his way to breakfast and that hadn't changed. He groaned again and cradled his head in his hands.

"What _now_?" he muttered darkly. "You're pregnant? Remus bit you? This shit can't really get any worse."

Hermione glared at Draco, but it bounced right of. "Sirius knows. I told him,"

"What?" Draco exclaimed, praying he had heard wrong or it was just a joke. Anything for it not to be true.

"I told Sirius," Hermione repeated as clearly as she could without bursting into tears.

"What the hell did you do that for, you bloody mad woman!" Draco yelled angrily. This was not how things were supposed to go.

"He already knew something was up! And I couldn't do it anymore, Draco! I just couldn't…" that was it. Hermione couldn't control it anymore. She let out a muffled sob before giving up and letting the tears flow.

"Hey… um, don't cry," Draco was looking more and more awkward by the second. He obviously had never comforted anyone before.

"It was too much, I had to tell someone," Hermione wailed. Draco groaned and conjured up a tissue for Hermione. She stubbornly refused to take it. Sighing, Draco muttered a spell and waved his wand. Instantly, Hermione felt cheery and content.

"Cheering Charms… we'd be dead without them," he said in satisfaction. Hermione looked outraged, but had a silly smile on her face anyway.

"Why you lit-" she began angrily cheerful, but Draco shook his head and interrupted.

"Oh, shut up for a second. I'll take the Charm off when I'm done. But you better realize that you're not the only one with news,"

Now Hermione was intrigued. "What news?"

"The Dark House news; Sirius would have given you the basic outline, but let me fill in the details, shortened version: fight, two sides; me against Lestrange. 5th year and up, in the Common Room, mostly guys. About two girls; got them both on my side. Marlene obviously, and some Meadows girl helped me. And from the guys, the Prewett brothers; they saved me ass,"

"So that's why Slytherin suddenly had 200 House points less?" Hermione asked. Draco nodded.

"But that's not all. Wait until you hear this. _Snape_, as in _Severus Snape_, future Potions master, decided he liked me better than Lestrange. Got him on our side, so he probably won't ever become a Death Eater in the first place; would never have won without him. And the other surprise… Regulus Black,"

"Sirius's brother?" Hermione asked, shocked.

"Yep. Bloody good dueler, too. So congratulate me, since I've just stopped 2 future Death Eaters," Draco looked onto Hermione expectantly.

"And McKinnon… Marlene McKinnon was a member of the Order. Hang on, so was…" Hermione trailed off, thinking hard.

"The Meadows girl! Doracs!" Draco realized. Hermione nodded.

"And the Prewett brothers. They were famous; died a hero's death. Actually, there's quite a few members of the Order here. I bet Dumbledore's already thinking of recruiting," Hermione explained.

"We have to figure all this out. _Now_," Draco said sharply, dropping the subject of his victory quickly. Hermione clearly agreed.

"Right. We have to tell Dumbledore all of this; me telling Sirius, the fight, everything. We'll go see him son, ok?"

Draco nodded in agreement, knowing what was coming.

-

"Well, as you must have realized, this is the last day before Christmas break. So today is our last day of lessons for a while. Which means we have to celebrate," Sirius explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"And you know what Sirius's idea of celebration is…" Remus trailed off, scowling at Sirius.

"Drinking, girls, late night party, girls…" James began to elaborate, but Remus elbowed him and gave him a pointed look. James's mouth formed an _O_ of understanding before saying, "of course; the _other_ way Sirius celebrates!" James realized, grinning.

"One word; pranks," Pete put in. Hermione groaned and rolled her eyes while Sirius grinned and nodded wickedly. In simulation with James. And Remus. Once again, Hermione was rather unnerved at how they could just _do_ that.

"Ok, well I have Runes… that would be with Pete, as well. And Evans is in our class. You guys all have History. That's going to be dead easy," Sirius said thoughtfully. James nodded in agreement and the two groups set off in different directions.

"Take a seat… at the back. We'll be there in two seconds," James whispered in Hermione's ear before him and Remus left. Hermione shrugged and walked towards the back of the class. True to their word, James and Remus joined her in only moments, James on her right and Remus in front oh her.

"Please take out your quills and parchment. Today we will be revisiting information about the Goblin…" Professor Binns had begun talking, but Hermione tuned out as soon as she could. What was going on with Remus and James was far more interesting. She could catch up later.

"Now," James whispered. Remus nodded. He took out his wand and performed a complicated squiggle, muttering words under his breath furiously.

The effects of the spells were instantaneous. The legs of chairs collapsed, ink pots took a mind of their own and students found themselves with overly long, brightly coloured hair, whiskers, obscure make-up or a sudden urge to yell out _Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy-warty Hogwarts!_

Hermione herself found that her own inkpot and quill had flown up and were working together to splatter as much ink and poke as many people in various places as they could. She noted that James and Remus had their own equipment doing the same thing.

"…in 1462, the war had truly…" Binns, as usual, had no clue. He simply went on in his monotonous voice, telling the class what had happened in some historical reference. But people were a bit too busy to notice.

But the fun didn't stop there. None other than Sirius Black had just burst into the classroom and waved his hands around signaling to come with him.

"Let's get out of here!" he yelled eagerly. Remus and James grinned and got up to follow. Hermione began to protest, but James grabbed her and dragged her away too. Hermione couldn't believe her eyes as she stepped out. The walls of the corridors were now flashing ludicrously bright pinks, blues, purples, greens and every other colour imaginable. Inside of the hard floor, Hermione found lush green grass.

James didn't hesitate as he picked Hermione up. Him, Remus and Sirius, with Pete on their tail, ran out of the castle and onto the grounds. The students took the hint and followed. Hermione was set back down on her feet to observe. The trees had been charmed to have their leaves constantly shed and re-grow. The ones that fell to the ground, on contact, transfigured into random items of candy. Fireworks had been let off and they bound around happily outside, circling every corner and bursting near someone's ears in a loud _BANG!_

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you end the last day before Christmas break!" Sirius yelled out. There was a massive uproar from the students as the Marauders grinned their heads off and others laughed. It would only be a matter of seconds before McGonagall or someone came out here and ruined their fun after all.

"Although this must have broken, oh only 235 school rules, I must admit it's the most spectacular display I've ever seen," Hermione said in amazement, taking in the scenes around her. James grinned and threw his arm around her.

"Of course; it's what we do around here,"

-

With the pandemonium going on, no one really realized if a person or two was missing. So as quietly as he could, Sirius Black attempted to sneak away. He caught James's eye, gave him a thumbs-up and signaled that he'd be right back. James's face clouded over, but he nodded anyway.

Sirius tried to look inconspicuous as he ventured into the Slytherin part of the castle crowd. His grey eyes constantly scanned the area for another head, also with black hair, grey eyes and similar features. Where was his brother when you actually wanted him?

"Regulus," Sirius called out as he spotted his target. He was seated with two other boys Sirius recognized as the Prewett brothers. Regulus looked up. His jaw dropped as Sirius's eyes met his. Without a word to his companions, Regulus got up and slowly walked over to Sirius until they were less than a meter away.

"Sirius… what do you want?" Regulus asked, looking around in case anyone was here.

"To know whether you still consider me brother. I heard about what happened in Slytherin," Sirius began cautiously, not wanting to scare his little brother off.

"I'm sorry, Sirius. You don't know how much," Regulus looked so lost, so guilty. And that's when Sirius saw a trace of his brother before. Before the influence of their mother really kicked in. Before, the times when he and Regulus had stuck together as best friends and brothers. Before, when they were still kids…

"Me too, Regulus," Sirius answered. Each boy's words held more weight than they would ever truly know. But for now, it was enough that they both said it.

"Why did you leave, Sirius?" Regulus asked miserably, looking at his brother in hope of what he would hear. Sirius seemed to pick up on what Regulus really meant.

"Because of Her. Not because of you, it was never your fault. Just know that, ok? I'll explain it to you one day, what it was like…" Sirius answered urgently, trying to get the message through to Regulus. _Not your fault…_

"Of course I still consider you my brother. Always have," Regulus replied softly, all coldness and misery gone from him. A pure smile lit up his face, and Sirius did too.

"Then brothers forever," Sirius replied, hugging Regulus. Not the gruff, one arms thing, or an awkward pat on the back. But a full out hug. And Regulus didn't hesitate in returning it, this time not caring at all who was around and watching.

-

**End 19**

Apologies for lack of posting, as always. Ya'll know my situation; I'm at Annie's this time, posting… I shudder every time I see/think of an internet café.

Sorry again. A few more chapters before the Epilogue and Conclusion; nearly done with this

I'm kind of slowly, tentatively working on a maybe-sequel to this story. I'm thinking it's going to be called _When Heroes Fall_; chapters of about the same length, but a lot more of them. Will feature… well, I can't really tell you what it features without giving away the ending. I'll keep you all posted though, so tell me what you think.

I am also working _extremely_ slowly on _Saving Auror Ginny_. Although for the little I have done, it's coming along nicely. See my profile for more details.

**MASSIVE thanks to all the reviewers. I am now past the 100 mark, something I never imagined. Love you all.**

Patricia Luksich, sorry I don't think I replied to you in the previous chapter. I hope you like it, and I hope your computer doesn't suffer too much damage!

megafreak, hmm…. I don't know if I should be telling you this, but what the hell. In my planned sequel there is considerably… _less_ Pettigrew. Whether he dies or not, I won't say, but if I do it, I think you'll be pleased! I'd quickly like to take the chance to say that I have been reading your story still, and I absolutely adore it. I'm sorry for the lack of reviews, but there's this weird thing going in my computer at the moment; I can view some pages ok but other functions such as reviewing, logging in I'm dead. Thanks.

Monkeystarz, hello I hope you're doing good! Good that you've been busy with that er… cow. Moo it is. Thanks mate.

Surrounded By Idiots, haha I didn't think some people would see the points of interludes; but the thing is, I have very little actual clear perspective and pure feelings of the characters, which is why I write Interludes. Don't worry I think that was the last one.

Krstna, haha yes it is sort of dull, pale blue-purple, isn't it? Bloody review button. Expect a review (or more) from me today!

kitty, don't worry there's still a few more chapters to go. I hope you'll be satisfied with the ending! Thanks very much for the positive feedback!

Avadne


	21. Chapter 20: A Moment

**Just Too Tempting**

By** Avadne**

**Chapter 20: **A Moment

It turned out that Draco found Hermione before she could find him. But he was the bearer of even more bad news. And here Hermione was, thinking things couldn't get any worse. She was about to find out how wrong she was. And she was about to remember an old muggle thing, Murphy's law: _anything that can go wrong, will_.

"I thi-," she had began blurting something out as soon as she spotted his blonde head, but Draco looked at her sharply and only sighed, prepping himself up to tell her something else. Something bigger. So Hermione stopped to listen.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure that it's the least of our worries… Dumbledore requested we see him immediately on new information on how to get home," Draco replied hurriedly. Hermione turned her head violently. Draco simply nodded and began to lead her to Dumbledore.

The walk to the office was silent, as both were lost in their own thoughts. Dumbledore met them outside his office and ushered them in quickly, offering them seats. Hermione and Draco sat down quickly and looked at Dumbledore expectantly.

"Sir, Hermione told Sirius about everything," Draco put in grimly. Dumbledore nodded calmly, expecting something like this to happen eventually. Actually, he had been rather amazed that these two students had lasted so long.

"Yes, I expected you tell _someone_. Now, there's something you both must know. It's urgent business and I need you both to sit tight while I explain," Dumbledore began gravely. Hermione and Draco both nodded silently.

"Very well; I may have found a way home for the two of you. Your _original_ home that is," Dumbledore continued. Hermione gaped at him, mouth down in shock.

"Now? We have to do this now? " she asked in horror, realizing what this meant. To leave. _Leave_.

"It would be an ideal time and I do recommend it," Dumbledore replied gravely. Hermione ran out of the classroom before she could hear the details. She only caught Draco's sigh before she left and his plea to Dumbledore.

"I'm all ears,"

"Mr. Malfoy, I request you do not walk out, like Miss Granger has just done. This is urgent business and you need to hear it," Dumbledore said firmly. Draco nodded strongly, making himself as comfortable as possible.

"I may have found a possible way to return you and Miss Granger to your original time," Dumbledore began. "This is an extremely complex procedure, one that I have set out the basis for. I have done everything I can, and now the rest is required from the two of you."

"So what do we do?" Draco asked, already bored. Even though Dumbledore was one of the few people Draco had even a hint of revealed respect for, that didn't stop his speeches from leading Draco into incredible boredom. Why couldn't the old fool just tell them what had to be done?

"I have separated it all into parts. The first is complete, I have done everything needed. But the next are complicated; tonight, at midnight, there is a designated spot for you both, exactly 30 paces east of the Whomping Willow; you will know. There, you must set up a circle; take your wands and each trace a semi-circle; step inside then close it off," Dumbledore went on.

"Right; make a circle. What is this, Wicca?"

"Well, it's related, as all magic is. Once you have made the circle, you're ready to transfigure. It's required that you bring an item each, one that you gained here and are dearly attatched to. Then you must transfigure it into something that you had in your own time, something equally dear," Dumbledore's face was grave and the standard twinkle in his bright eyes was absent.

"What kind of item?" Draco asked nervously.

"Anything, really. Just make sure it will fit inside the circle; I would suggest a valued gift or something perhaps made by yourself that you're proud of. Once that's done, turn to face each other. Mirroring one's movements, Hermione and you must press the palms of your hands together while keeping firm hold of your item in the other; hold both hands at eye level. Utmost concentration is essential here; without it, you will fail," Dumbledore droned on and on. Draco had a feeling he would never stop, or at least be repeating some of this. Draco had no clue as to what the hell the Headmaster was on about. Of course, he didn't say so.

"Right…" Draco trailed off, trying to look as though he was comprehending Dumbledore's words. Dumbledore gave him a clear look that read through Draco as if he were glass. Then he levitated a vial of shimmering silver potion towards Draco, taking care to keep it away from himself.

"The final stage will be done now; I must not touch the potion. Only you and Hermione can, or else the essence will be muddled. Still staring at each other, hands connected, let exactly 20 drops fall _inside_ the circle; for twenty years, this is the representation. Then take a single drop on your item and Hermione's, and one on the tip of your tongue. You must swallow simultaneously and finally say the incantation. It will come to you at that moment," the Headmaster had finished his grand scheme while Draco sat there, dumbfounded.

"Ok… so, do you think you could write that down for me?" Draco asked hopefully. Dumbledore let out a barely audible sigh and started repeating the steps again. This time, Draco sat up straighter and tried to pay a bit more attention.

Hermione was nervous all over. She and Draco had just arrived at their destination, a possible chance at returning home, one that Dumbledore recommend they try. It was midnight and freezing cold, but the temperature didn't bother Hermione. She was too numb inside to feel the gushing winds against her body, easily pushing aside her cloak to get to her flesh.

Draco had explained it to Hermione as patiently as he could manage, but was still pissed off at the fact that she had just run out, leaving him to listen to Dumbledore alone and not understand a word of what he was saying. Therefore Dumbledore had to repeat it two more times. Which left an incredibly bored Draco, meddled with confusion.

But Draco had done his best in repeating the words to Hermione. Hermione had too been confused, but understood it now after a few moments of thought. The procedure was made of 3 simple steps. But these steps overlapped each other and blended it together, making it not so simple. Unless worked part by part, which is exactly what Dumbledore had done. Everything was ready, now the rest was up to Draco and Hermione.

Making their way to the place of the circle, Hermione thought carefully. She hadn't really even gotten the chance to say good-bye. Her and Draco silently reached the designated area and began drawing up the circle. They had just stepped in and were about to close it when Hermione was distracted by the flapping of wings. An owl was nearing to them at an alarming speed and Hermione was sure it would crash head-first into Draco if he didn't move. But surprisingly, the owl stopped smoothly on Hermione's own shoulder. It stood there for a second before flying up again in front of Hermione's face, waving around a letter.

Hermione untied the letter from the owl and stroked it lightly before it flew off. Hermione was sure she had seen it before somewhere but couldn't quite place it. She looked at the envelope; a single word was written on the front. Just her name. Hermione.

Hermione opened the letter hesitantly, recognizing James's immensely neat, slanted scrawl immediately. Her hands trembled as she took out the parchment and read…

_Hermione,_

_If you would ask me whether you are pretty, I'd say no.  
__If you would ask me whether I like you, I'd say no.  
__If you would ask me whether you are in my heart, I'd say no.  
__If you would ask me whether I'd cry if you'd walk away, I'd say no.  
__So you'd turn to walk away. And I'd grab your arm and say;  
__You're not pretty, you're beautiful,  
__I don't like you, I love you,  
__You're not in my heart, you are my heart,  
__And I wouldn't cry if you'd walk away, I would die._

_James_

A tear dropped onto the piece of parchment. And another one. Three more. Soon, Hermione was openly crying.

"I love you too, James," she mumbled quietly. Draco sighed impatiently; they had to get going or someone would find them. Although he was getting restless, he didn't run around or call out to Hermione. Now was not a good time.

"Then don't go," a voice said from behind her. Hermione turned around and gasped. All of James Potter's tall frame, messy hair and endless eyes were there.

"J-James," she stuttered out.

"Don't go, Hermione," he begged her, stepping closer.

"I have to, Ja- wait, what did you call me?" Hermione asked. He had just called her Hermione. Oh no.

"I called you Hermione. Your name, isn't it? Your full name… I assumed it was shortened to something, but didn't quite know what. _Sirius_ told me exactly that it was _Hermione_," James asked calmly, his eyes shadowing over slightly from jealousy that Sirius had known over James.

"I-Ja… I'm sorry, James," Hermione whispered, backing away.

_They had to leave, leave to save everyone._

"No you don't, Hermione," James told her quietly. Hermione looked surprised, but James only smiled somewhat sadly, as if it were normal for someone to practically read her mind.

"James, I-I love you. But I have to," Hermione's heart was breaking. In 2 strides, James was right in front of her, only inches away.

"I love you, too," James whispered, so quietly now that if they weren't so close, Hermione wouldn't have heard it. James's eyes were directly on Hermione's. And he could see every single feeling displayed through them. Hesitating for a brief second, James lowered his head and very softly kissed Hermione.

Hermione was lost in the moment. She wasn't thinking clearly; kissing James tended to do that to her. But Hermione was enjoying herself way too much. As she realized this, she broke away.

"James, this isn't meant to happen," Hermione said, trying to sound forceful but failing miserably.

"God, Hermione, just do it, we all know you want to. We can stay a few more days; Dumbledore said it was _best _to leave today, but not _urgent_," Draco burst out. He was really sick of seeing Hermione all depressed; it was downright annoying. Without further ado, Hermione jumped into James's arms and kissed him again. Draco rolled his eyes.

"I have got to get away from this,"

Hermione and James were a bit _preoccupied_, so Draco quickly sneaked away to leave the happy couple in peace, shuddering in the process. _The things I do for that girl,_ he thought to himself in exasperation. _She owes me so badly_. Draco stepped into the main passage into Hogwarts with a smug smile. But he was stopped almost immediately.

"Staying, are we?" a soft, feathery voice asked. As usual, Draco was enthralled and recognized Marlene immediately, even before he saw her.

"Just for you," Draco answered, a hint of sarcasm, walking closer. Marlene smirked but shook her head.

"You won't leave; you think you will, but you wont," she told him. And for some strange reason, at that moment Draco was 100 sure that Marlene was right. Draco was sure that they wouldn't leave. That had been their last possible chance, and Draco had given it up for someone else to be happy.

A strange action at that. And it led to another strange feeling, one Draco wasn't used to.

And as he watched Marlene, her blank face and intense eyes, glowing inquisitively with knowledge beyond what was here, Draco knew she would be proven right. She had demonstrated her prophesizing abilities before and so far, Draco had not seen them fail.

But somehow, such thoughts escaped Draco the second Marlene's lips met his own. Funny how that works

**End 20**

I don't own that piece of 'poetry'; I only wish I did. I got it through an e-mail forward a while back from a friend. Thanks hun, I love ya.

I'm extremely sorry for the long wait. I PROMISE you won't have to wait that long for the next chapter… and just so you know, it's a good one. I swear.

Review!

Avadne

Massive thanks to… (and also great apologies to anyone I've missed. I ahve seriously NO TIME to check it all...)

megafreak… thanks! Sorry about the long wait /blushes/. True, I didn't say NO Pettigrew, but then again, I didn't NOT say NO Pettigrew. I'll just leave you to work out the clues /wink/. Loved your theories though. Grr I'm hoping to catch up with your fic soon, I know how many chapters I must have missed…

chelsea… I don't even know how many times you did end up reviewing, but I'd like to thank you very much for it. you totally boosted my self esteem. Yes, man slut is a hilarious word, hahaha. And no, sadly I haven't listened to every song in existence… but probably close! Yes, Evanescence is wicked, I have their album. My Beautiful Friend would've been hard to find; it was an Australian artist, and the song wasn't released… I like Good Charlotte a lot though. A Green Day fan? My friend Annie adores them, they are pretty cool. Anyway again thank you SO much for all the reviews!

Surrounded By Idiots… wow, thanks heaps for the flattery! It's true, I see some truly great fics with only like 6 or so reviews, while other crap ones got lucky and have loads! Well, in some cases anyway. I'm so sorry about keeping you in the waiting… I promise the nest chapter will be worth it though /wink/

LornaDoone… I'm really glad you like it, and also that you enjoy the pranks. Thanks very much for your review!

Monkeystarz… long time no… er, hear? Sorry, I know it's my fault. I think my hotmail has been deactivated cuz I haven't been able to log in for so long /hangs head in shame/. Your review amused me greatly though! Annie says hi back, hopes your well, and is probably going to drag me over to her hose so I can use hotmail and send you a bloody email! I loved your little angsty-story, humorous review rant. From what I could understand of it that is.

xLaceMeWithWindx... I love that you think I'm original... thanks so much! I like the pairing too, it is rather unusual. I hate Ron/Hermione with a passion. I may just go and check out this Hermione granger's Forbidden Love site... thanks for letting me know about it! And of course, also thanks for the review...

kransp... thanks, I'm glad you like it, and am overjoyed that I have a new fan. Sorry about the wait!


	22. Chapter 21: A Gift

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Chapter 21: **A Gift

Hermione woke up with a pounding head-ache; the one she always got when something important was going to happen, but she couldn't quite place her finger on what. What was so special about today? 24th of December… Christmas-y feeling was still there. She had promised Lily that they would spend tomorrow evening together, and of course she should go see Draco, or at least send him his present.

Today, something felt off. Something was going to happen today, what was it? Hermione knew, but it had slipped her mind. But she shook her head, convinced it would come back to her.

It was the 24th today; Christmas Eve was nearing. Hermione had no lessons or anything today; she was just going to spend the day with friends. Quickly getting ready, she went downstairs to the Common Room. There she met the Marauders, who were grinning mischievously at each other. James took her hand and they ran off before Hermione could even speak.

She tried to ask what was happening, but to no avail. Stopping around the centre of the castle, Sirius, Remus, Pete and James looked at each other. Then they tapped their throats and began the yelling.

"Happy Christmas!" boomed around the castle, a thousand times louder than their usual already loud voices. The words echoed throughout Hogwarts, and slithered into every corner, every hallway. Immediately, everyone who heard it yelled back the same thing (only just not as loud) and smiled merrily. The Marauders high fived each other happily, smirking at their work.

Hermione was sure this would continue throughout the day, along with other ways the Marauders had thought up o reminding everyone of the festive season.

"Guys, I'm kind of tried. I think I'm just going to go to the dorms, ok?" Hermione said quietly, knowing that tonight, the Marauders would venture out into the Whomping Willow, and out of it, as animals. Remus knew that _she_ knew about his werewolf thing, but Hermione was still trying to make it out to be as casual as possible. Today had been a fun filled day, with loads of random fun going on, but now things were getting serious.

"Sure? Are you sick or something?" James asked, worriedly.

"I'm fine. But wait, first I want to give you your presents today. I promised Lily I'd spend the evening with her," Hermione was especially glad that at her Hogsmeade trip with Lily, she had also taken the time to buy presents for each Marauder, as well as Lily herself and Draco. Hermione quickly raced upstairs and collected the bunch of presents she had. Running back down stairs, she was ready to hand them out.

"We'll get ours too, then," James said quickly. Moments later, everyone was ready and seated comfortably in the Common Room.

"Happy Christmas… Remus," Hermione began, pulling out a small present. Remus looked surprised, but took the package. Opening it, he found a leather neck cord.

"Thanks, Mi," he said uncertainly, looking at the present. Or more precisely at the items hanging off it.

"Those are special. The card has more accurate descriptions of what those items are," Hermione explained quietly. Remus took out the card and read.

_Vampire tooth: collected while in vampire form. Leaves feeling of awakening_

_Phoenix gem: the solidified version of a phoenix's tears. Astounding healing powers at work_

_Dragon tooth: willingly traded. Encourages impurities to leave body_

_Unicorn gem: the solidified version of a unicorn's tears. Promotes pain relief_

_Werewolf tooth: collected while in wolf form. Strengthens wearer_

_All items must be willingly given for full effects, as they have been in this case_

Remus looked up at Hermione in worry; werewolf tooth?

"It's supposed to help the process of healing," Hermione added. Remus nodded and Hermione wondered if the present was a good idea. But Remus smiled, a genuine smile and Hermione stopped worrying.

"Here, from me," Remus handed her a package. Hermione took it and gave him a quick hug.

"I'll open mine later. Sirius, this one's yours," Hermione handed Sirius his present, which he took happily. Opening it, he took out a finely woven dream catcher. The card attached said, _I'll stop your bad dreams and keep the good ones_.

"Thanks, Mi," he replied softly. He handed Hermione a package and hugged her.

"Pete," Hermione handed him a small present, although not as small as Remus's. Pete nodded in thanks and opened it. Inside was a Revealerall. It was a ball that resembled a Rememberall, but instead of just showing red smoke when you forgot something, it showed you a place, or action and other, more detailed hints as to what you forgot.

"Thanks. Here's mine for you," Pete handed her a roughly wrapped gift. Hermione took it silently.

"Guys, we gotta go. Mi, I'll give you mine later, ok?" James said hurriedly, making a big show of looking at his magical watch. But really, he just wanted to give her his present alone. And Hermione did too. She nodded and let the boys go, let Remus face his monsters.

With a sigh, Hermione gathered the gifts she had received and took them up stairs to open. She laid them carefully on her bed and began the process of unpacking. Picking up Sirius's first, she grinned and tried not to imagine what was inside.

Opening the package carefully, Hermione was shocked to find a very _normal_ gift; a magical camera, like the one he had used at the Christmas party. It was accompanied by a note and a photo album. With slightly trembling hands, Hermione picked up the note and read, in Sirius's untidy scribble;

_Hermione,_

_I have to say Hermione is a much prettier name than Mi. But it's just a name, and it doesn't change who you are here and now, or before. So before I get all emotional…_

_Here's a magical camera; dead easy to use, just wave your wand. It's to record all the good times here, so if you go back, you'll remember that there are other people in a different time and place that also love you. The photo album is for the same thing._

_Sirius_

Hermione felt her eyes well up with tears. She didn't bother wiping them away and decided to look over the photo album later, when she was feeling a bit more stable. She reached for the next gift, Peter's. It was messily wrapped and had a plain label that said _For Mi, From Peter_.

It was a thoughtful enough gift; a box. It was made of light wood, about the size of 2 palms. The inside had royal blue silk and a note that said it would accommodate for anything you wanted; even an elephant or something of equivalent size.

Finally, Hermione grabbed Remus's. It was a fairly large box wrapped in plain paper with a ribbon. Exactly Remus's style, Hermione decided. Sorting through the tissue paper, Hermione extracted a mirror. It was beautiful; gold handle and edge, with gems studded around the glass. It had a faded, antique look to it and Hermione thought it was amazing.

_Mi,_

_Careful with this; it looks like a gorgeous antique mirror, I know. BUT it will show you things, from past, present and future relevant to you. Have fun exploring._

_Remus_

Hermione stared in wonder at the mirror. She looked straight into the glass and saw… Harry? Yes, it was Harry, only younger. At about 5 or 6. He had his head bent down low, hiding his eyes, but there was no mistake. Hermione shrugged in confusion and set the mirror down carefully. She would examine it later a bit more closely.

Before meeting up with Lily, she had another present to give.

Hermione had enlisted the help of an owl to send off her present to Draco; a pair of glasses that allowed the wearer to see a person's aura, to understand it. Hermione thought they'd be great for Draco.

Coming back up to the dorm, Lily was already seated on her bed. She stood up as Hermione entered and hugged her lightly.

"The other girls cleared off. And you got a package, too," Lily said, indicating to Hermione's bed. It was a wrapped gift with a note attatched.

Shrugging, Hermione ripped open the gift to find a curvy bottle of colourless liquid. It was neatly labeled _Adapt_ and had a simple swirl underneath the writing. Hermione looked at it confused, before having the sense to open the letter attached.

_Hermione,_

_This is the latest and greatest in perfume. Severus helped me make it. It will turn into whatever scent suits your current mood. Just put it on you and it will adapt, hence the name, to you and invent a unique scent. Apparently_

_Merry Christmas_

_Draco_

Hermione examined the bottle closely; what a smart idea. She tested it out immediately, smudging a drop on the inside of her left wrist. The clear substance shimmered for a second and Hermione caught a wave of citrus, strawberry and white musk. It was a delicious combination and instantly, Hermione had fallen in love. The bottle was medium sized, but Hermione supposed she could enlarge it if it was about to run out.

"What is it?" Lily asked interestedly. Hermione explained to Lily what the perfume did and let her friend test it out for herself. Lily's chosen scent for the moment was a cinnamon-y smell, with a hint of hazelnut and sandalwood.

"Happy Christmas, Lily," Hermione said cheerfully after Lily was done with the perfume. She handed Lily her own present. Lily took the package and gave Hermione one from her.

Both girls sat silently, opening their gifts. Hermione had gotten Lily a special type of charm bracelet; it was silver with 7 tiny squares hanging off. Each square was meant to be transfigured into the item of the wearer's choice. But the magical aspect of the bracelet was that on contact, each transfigured square would blast out a different type of charm spell. It was really quite amazing.

Hermione unwrapped her own package from Lily, she found a gorgeous red and gold diary; it had a lock on it and the note attached said there were a lot of secrets and spells on the book. She thanked Lily and carefully put the diary away.

"Oh, what's _that_?" Lily asked breathlessly. Hermione had just looked up to see Lily fingering the antique mirror that showed Hermione Harry.

"Remus gave it to me," Hermione answered. Lily took it in her hands, with every intention of observing herself in it, maybe fixing her hair. But a surprise met her eyes; Petunia, Lily's older sister, braiding Lily's long hair. Lily must have been 7 or so, and that's when they still considered each other best friends. So much had changed…

Speaking of changing, the image had also changed. A girl, approximately 11, stood with her hands shoved in her pockets, smiling brightly. She had long, wavy hair that was a mahogany colour, lightly tanned skin & freckles. The girl lifted her head and her gaze met Lily's. Both pairs of eyes were identical.

Then the image disappeared; it was now swirling into blackness, where another image was being born.

"What did you see?" Hermione asked curiously. Lily seemed a bit taken aback by the question, and stared at Hermione uncomprehendingly for a second before shaking herself out and answering.

"My sister and I… and then a girl… around 11, gorgeous red-brown hair. She had my eyes," Lily answered hoarsely. There was raw emotion in her voice as Lily thought about the girl. There was something about her, something important. But Lily shook herself out and turned back to Hermione.

"Thanks, Mi. You're a great friend to have… and speaking of which, I promised I'd see some of my friends in Ravenclaw. Thanks again. I'll be back around 9. You'll be ok?" Lily rushed out, quickly shoving together all the mess. Hermione grinned.

"Sure, go ahead. I'll be fine," Hermione answered. Lily gave her a quick hug before rushing off.

So while today had been a relaxing day and Hermione headed off to sleep, she had no idea what would happen tomorrow.

**End 21**

See, told you I'd update! Thanks for being so good about the wait, though…. By the way, my page breaks aren't working AGAIN, so sorry that it's not seperated.

So who's the girl Lily saw? The boy Hermione saw was Harry that was right… yes, that was Harry James Potter. Just not necessarily the same Harry James Potter ya'll know. But who is Lily's mystery 11 year old girl? Well, if I have a sequel, you'll find out, as she's part of my plan. But I'm not sure if it will happen, so if not, the Conclusion will explain everything.

Avadne

**Megafreak**, that's ok, better late than never I suppose. Studying, eh? Sounds tough. My school is such a bludge school. If you don't want to work, they just don't make you… I mean, it's your own future they say. Grr. Thanks for the review, it was really nice!

**Meggle**, I'm proud that you think it was beautiful. Very flattering, when someone tells you something like that. Lol please don't hunt me down!

**SiriusSnogger**, almost crying, eh? Oooh I'm amazed. I always think to myself when I read a fab emotional story, _gee I wish I could write like that_…

**Belinda**, lol yes there is a twist! Go twists! Nah, glad you like it, thanks for the review! Actually, thanks for BOTH reviews…

**Lady Emmi**, I'm glad you reviewed either way. I hope you continue liking it!

**Surrounded By Idiots**, I'm glad you were so happy because of my update. I'm also glad you liked my cute & fluffy chapter! I passed the message on to my friend, Annie… she says she's glad to help. Lol HPB coming early is as good as my update? I'm VERY flattered!


	23. Chapter 22: A Situation

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Chapter 22: **A Situation

Lily had gone off to give some Ravenclaw friends merry wishes, and Hermione had also set off. It was time for a fortnightly talk with Dumbledore; at first, it had been weekly talks, but as the days went on, Dumbledore decided that once every two weeks would do. Draco and Hermione had not received any news about getting closer to going home after the one shot that _could_ have worked, but didn't. But as it was the chosen day, Christmas Day on Sunday to be precise, Hermione met Draco in the corridor before Dumbledore's office and together they began walking. Hermione was eager to get back to her dorms & hoped the talk wouldn't take too long. The day had been dull without the Marauders around, but Hermione was determined not to make them suspicious, although she wasn't quite sure why they hadn't come back for the day time. Full moons were only at night.

The short way to Dumbledore's office was silent, as both Hermione and Draco were lost in their own thoughts. Draco uttered the password absentmindedly and both students entered, facing a ready Dumbledore.

"Please take a seat," he told them politely. Hermione and Draco both sat down without question; there was definitely something wrong. Dumbledore did not have his usual twinkling eyes or energetic aura. For once, he seemed like the tired, old man within. Never a good sign, as far as _anyone_ was concerned.

"What is it, Sir?" Draco asked cautiously. Even Draco, who at the worst of times was clueless, knew that something was definitely wrong with their 'situation'.

"Now, you may recall, Miss Granger, that upon arrival, you asked me what was going in your future. Had time simply frozen or did the 2 of you mysteriously disappear? I told you that either option was likely. And I told you there was another alternative, but very unlikely…"

"It happened," Hermione said, making it more of a statement than a question. Dumbledore nodded slowly, carefully looking at both Hermione and Draco.

"Well, this other alternative… I received news today that it did indeed happen. You see, apparently, I from the future found a means of getting this message to myself of this time. I shall, of course, tell you what happened. I was carefully examining the 'Pensive' you fell into. Leaning a bit too close, I was also pulled in, but not completely. Now, as I looked down, words were writing themselves and then I knew that the last option had happened," Dumbledore said, somewhat sadly.

"Yeah, but what _is_ the last option?" Draco asked impatiently, tired of this guessing game, as it were.

"Your world no longer exists," Dumbledore told them gravely. Draco's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Hermione, on the other hand, didn't move.

"I DON'T BLOODY EXIST?" Draco yelled, but his indignation-filled yells were not enough to break Hermione out of her trance.

"Please, Mr. Malfoy… Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked quietly. But Hermione just stared blankly at him. He sighed sadly, as if expecting this. Draco wasn't about to take it, though. Without any hesitation, he grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and shook.

"WHAT?" she shrieked. The shaking had cracked her little bubble, the bubble that had been her protection from the real knowledge. Yes, ignorance is bliss.

"I am to say that your future has been wiped out. It no longer exists. Your friends, you family, your homes do not exist in the future," Dumbledore said as gently as he could.

"No, no, it can't be. Harry, Ron… NO!" Hermione yelled, panicking. She put her hands to her face, jumping up suddenly and heading for the door.

"Hermione," Draco called out. She didn't stop. Sighing, he too jumped up and before she could leave, he grabbed Hermione around the waist, forcing her to stay.

"Please, allow me to fully explain," Dumbledore told them soothingly. Once again, Draco was amazed at how calm the Headmaster could be. Leading Hermione to a chair, he could feel her shake with disbelief and fear.

"I-I-I-" Hermione began, trembling all over, eyes wide.

"Now, you _will_ listen to this. At first I believed that your future had temporarily frozen. But I have found out that that is not the case. The world you knew no longer exists. You _cannot_ go back and by staying here, you are re-writing history. You have no choice now; whether you like it or not, you have changed everything," Dumbledore began quietly, looking at Draco and Hermione carefully.

"What about our parents then? Will they… _re-have_ us when the time comes or something?" Draco asked, in shock. He didn't exist. _Bloody great_, he thought sarcastically.

"Possibly. It is more probable for Miss Granger, but not so much for you, Mr. Malfoy. Of course, it's still an option; you see, both of your parents are active magical beings. Mr. and Mrs. Granger are not; your time journey did not affect them greatly because they are muggles and this happened out of their world. However, you have sufficient knowledge of one possible future, which is one you can stop. So, now, if the Dark Lord prevails, unlike he did before, you may not be born again; both Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy are in dangerous positions here," the tone of his voice was still equally quiet, but had gained some emphasis. If Dumbledore was trying to tell them something hidden, it wasn't working. Draco's mind just didn't think logically enough and Hermione was in a deep state of shock.

"So we are gone. We just don't exist," Hermione's voice was hollow, just like her eyes, her face. At the moment, she was like a shell; just the outside, nothing inside.

"But you _do_ exist. Just in a different place, a different time. You've disappeared from an alternate future, and you are now unable to access it. Therefore, it has completely shut down. But you are here now, and _this is your life_. You have another chance," Dumbledore explained urgently, as if trying to convey a message to them without the exact words.

"Wha-" Draco began, having every intention of asking what the hell Dumbledore was on. But he was beaten to it… kind of.

"Your future being wiped out is not necessarily for the worse. You now haven't had a future, so you may do what you please. I told you before not to let anyone know about their alleged futures. That's out the window. You have a chance to re-do things again. Don't you see what this means? You can make other friends, learn other things, fall in love with other people… and the consequences are not yet foretold. You have already affected the lives of certain students here, whether you like it or not. You can save those lives, help those that suffered…" Dumbledore's eyes were wide now, staring at Hermione directly. She gave the slightest of nods to show she understood, just barely, before closing her eyes again as if once they were opened, she would be back with Harry and Ron. No such luck.

"So… we can tell them?" Draco asked hesitantly. Dumbledore nodded, standing up. He walked towards the door and opened it.

"Think about your choices carefully. Good day," he dismissed them, the twinkle returning to his light blue eyes. _So many wrongs can be righted. But will they?_ He asked himself. It's up to that pair, now. Somehow, Dumbledore was feeling a lot more energized that what he had been feeling at the start of 'the talk'. Strange how these things work out.

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked finally. She and Draco had been walking in silence, aimlessly around the castle, for a good half hour now.

"It's obvious, isn't it? We tell them. Everything," Draco replied stonily. He was carefully outweighing his options here, but there was only one choice, really. Tell them. And while telling the Marauders would be hard enough, Draco was a bit more worried about telling Marlene.

"It's the full moon tonight & tomorrow. We'll tell them on Tuesday… that will be the 27th," Hermione replied thoughtfully. Draco didn't say anything for a long, long time.

"I'm telling Marlene… tonight. I've got to go, Hermione. Good luck; I'll be there on Tuesday," Draco said hurriedly rushing off immediately, leaving Hermione alone. She sighed and began trudging back to her dorm; it was around 7:30pm and Lily said not to expect her back until around 9. The other girls in their dorm had all gone home over the Christmas break, so Hermione had some free time.

And she knew jus what she wanted to do.

"Marlene," Draco called out softly. Marlene was slumped against the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. She looked up and a soft smile graced her features.

"I'm listening," Marlene replied quietly, standing up. She didn't say hello, or ask where Draco had been. She didn't need to; as usual, she just got to the point.

"Come on, let's go somewhere," Draco said hesitantly, knowing he didn't want to tell Marlene _here_ of all places. Any Slytherin could walk out of the Common Room and into their conversation at a given moment. Draco took Marlene's hand and led her to a secret room. Reaching into his robes, he extracted a small box.

"Happy Christmas," he whispered, moving a bit closer to Marlene and handing her the box. She took it and carefully opened it. Inside was a gorgeous pair of earrings; Draco might be a Brown here, but he was still a Malfoy at heart and that meant he could always afford the best. The earrings were white gold and dangly, with diamonds at the bottom.

Marlene silently handed Draco a gift. Draco opened it to find a strange kind of round platform, very small. It had a sphere floating above it and when Draco looked directly at it, the sphere turned to butterflies that were furiously flying around. Draco looked at it and bent down, kissing Marlene softly.

"Mood reflector; so tell me, Draco, what you're so nervous about," Marlene told him conversationally, breaking the kiss after a few seconds. Draco looked at her, taking in every detail, memorizing every line. Just incase he were to leave… or worse, Marlene would be so mad she'd never be around him again. Then he opened his mouth and began the story.

* * *

Hermione had gotten back to her dorm to find it deserted. But she didn't mind. Seating herself comfortably on her bed, she picked up the photo album from Sirius; it had been lying on her bedside table and Hermione had been meaning to take a closer look.

The first page was another note from Sirius.

_Hermione,_

_Let the good times roll. And never forget them, alright? I guarantee you that while it was hard, this must have been the best time of your life. _

_Recording the good times and discarding the bad is what we do best._

_I've always wanted a little sister… and it's only a matter of time until you and Jaime will get married, and since he's like my brother, you'll really be my sister. _

_But you're like my sister anyway. And then again, if you're like my sister, and Jaime's like my brother… ok, I'm going to _stop_ thinking about that right now._

_Good luck_

_Sirius_

Hermione smiled at Sirius's words. Then she turned to the first photo; it was a copy of the one she had, the one before the Christmas Party. It featured all of them, moving between two poses.

Hermione flipped through the book, examining each photo carefully. Each photo features her, one of the Marauders, Draco & Marlene, Lily or special places. It was a beautiful collection and by the time Hermione had reached the end, her face was streaming with tears.

Putting down the photo album carefully, Hermione decided to take another glance in Remus's mirror before she went to sleep.

This time, the scene was terrifying. The Shrieking Shack, a stag, a large, grim-like dog and a rat… and a werewolf. A snarling werewolf, rolling around and fighting with the dog. And the stag was trying to interfere while the rat hid itself.

The worst thing was, Hermione didn't know if they were play-fighting… or really trying to kill each other.

* * *

**End 22**

Review, everyone, pretty please?

I'm really sorry about the long update gap. I recently found out that I'm moving interstate and have been REALLY frazzled. I promise the nest update will be sooner. Who knows, maybe I'll have decent internet in my new house.

I'd LIKE to personally thank each and every reviewer… I really don't have the time or internet capacity to do individual replies, but I want you all to know that you mean so much to me. You bring a smile to my face!

Avadne


	24. Chapter 23: A Secret

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Chapter 23: **A Secret

"We're telling them. Pete, Sirius, Remus, J-James… even Lily, they deserve to know. Dumbledore said we might as well," Hermione decided nervously. Draco gave a small nod to show that he was okay with her choice. At that moment, the Marauders walked in and Draco motioned for them to sit down. Hermione ran up the girls' stairs and was back in a few seconds with Lily.

"We have to tell you guys something," Hermione began carefully, looking at each person in the eyes before turning to Draco and nodding.

"Before you start, though," Draco took a deep breath and addressed the whole group. "Look, we weren't allowed to say anything at all. You might think _screw the rules_, but in this case, that could have led to thousands of deaths and the destruction of our world. It doesn't matter anymore, in light of recent events… but the point is; we wanted to tell you before."

"My name is Hermione Jane Granger… Hooper was my mother's maiden name and my dad used to call me Mi, both muggles. This here is Draco Hunter Malfoy. We were both born in… 1980. Started at Hogwarts in 1991, became Head Girl and Boy in 1997," Hermione started out slow, trying not to overload the information too soon. Sirius was the only person that didn't have wide eyes or their jaw dropped; instead, a rather ugly look had settled on his face, as he already knew. James was also slightly less shocked than the others, but knew naught of the details.

"_Glamorious__ Finite_," Draco muttered; both his and Hermione's glamours disappeared, leaving one silver eyed, platinum haired boy with pale skin and lower cheekbones, as well as a tanned girl without freckles, a flatter nose, caramel eyes and very long tangles of bushy hair.

"Malfoy. Did you say Malfoy?" Lily was the first to speak, taking the whole thing unusually well. Sirius remained silent, Remus looked deep in thought, Pete looked scared out of his wits and James… well, Hermione refused to look at James in fear of what awaited her.

"My mother is Narcissa Black and my father is Lucius Malfoy," Draco told her softly. Lily nodded, accepting the reply.

"So, what, you just went _pop_ and appeared here all of a sudden?" Remus asked quietly, not looking at either Draco or Hermione. His voice was hollow and emotionless, but held a tiny hint of trademark sarcasm.

"Actually, it was Draco's fault," Hermione began. Once again, just like with Dumbledore, he interrupted.

"Was not!" he snapped back childishly. Hermione silenced him with another glare.

"Draco pulled us both into what he _thought_ was a Pensive. Clearly, it was not and we ended up here," Hermione finished, still glaring fiercely at Draco, who stared back fearlessly.

"What do you know about us?" Remus asked hesitantly. "About our future selves, I mean."

"We know what would have been your future… but it's all fucked now that we are here. I can assure you that things will _definitely_ be different now, without a choice," Draco answered for both of them.

"Why did you hate me?" Pete asked in his small, nervous voice. This was the question Hermione had been dreading. Draco looked at her quickly, asking with his eyes whether she wanted him to handle this. Hermione shook her head and stared determinedly at Pete.

"We didn't hate you; we hate what you became in our future. But it can be changed," Hermione told Pete, placing an arm around him. He stiffened slightly, for a second, but then relaxed.

"Well, what did I become?" he asked, even more nervously, also fidgeting with his pudgy hands. Hermione's eyes hardened and Draco didn't even let Hermione begin to answer.

"It's not important anymore. If you want to know so badly, I'll tell you, but not here or now. We won't allow it to happen again," Draco explained. Pete nodded, clearly unsatisfied with the answer, but not willing to push it any further at the moment.

"What happened in the future, what happened to _us_?" James had spoken, for the first time, and in a steely voice that had Hermione worried.

"You- you-" Hermione began, but could not finish. She simply shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. Sirius looked down also, overcome with emotion. James looked at Hermione for a split second, straight into her eyes, before getting up abruptly.

"I need to get away from here," he stated, walking off abruptly. Sirius stood up, as did Hermione, but he shook his head firmly, signaling she should stay here.

"Don't go after him, Mi-_Hermione_. He doesn't need you right now," Remus told her, uncharacteristically solemn. No one else moved a muscle; although it was clear that the others wanted to go after James, it was obvious that now was not a good time.

Finally, Sirius stood up and bolted after his best friend.

* * *

"James?" Hermione called out hesitantly. James was seated in his usual chair in the Gryffindor Common Room. Other than him and Hermione, there was only Sirius, who wisely cleared out as Hermione entered.

James sat like a stone, staring into the blazing fire. Hermione tried again, stuttering out his name. But James stubbornly didn't budge. In fact, he didn't show _any_ sign of even hearing Hermione. Hermione very slowly moved herself to be next to him, standing by his chair. Then she placed a hand on his shoulder and tentatively began to speak.

But James gave her no chance. He moved abruptly, throwing her hand off him, stood and turned to her, finally speaking.

"I don't even know who you _are_," James whispered, at the moment, avoiding Hermione's eyes carefully and not willing to move any closer to her.

"But you do," Hermione begged desperately, willing him to actually _look_ at her, look into her eyes with his own. Something that he was stubbornly refusing, so far.

"No, I don't. You're a stranger to me, _Hermione Granger_. How am I meant to know that you weren't acting all along, that you weren't pretending you had those… feelings?" James retorted, still not looking at her determinedly.

"Because I wasn't James. That was for real," Hermione begged desperately. James just shook his head and stepped back even further.

"Just leave me alone," James spat out bitterly, his face blank and his eyes iced over. Hermione stared at him fearfully, hating that she was the cause of his outrage and pain.

"I-," Hermione began to stammer out, but James shook his head violently, stood up just as violently and stormed out, leaving Hermione in the empty Common Room with tears down her face.

* * *

It had been a good 2 hours since James had stormed off and Hermione was getting more and more depressed by the second. She had been wandering the halls of Hogwarts in a rather aimless fashion before eventually dawdling back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

And there, in all his glory, was James. In his favourite armchair, in front of the fire, clearly brooding. The pain in his eyes made Hermione's heart break. The fact that she caused it only worsened the effect.

"James?" Hermione tentatively whispered. James didn't move or make any acknowledgement that he even heard her.

"James, I'm so sor- no, you don't want my apologies, I can tell. But I _need_ you to-" Hermione started again with determination, but faltered when James' head cut to the side sharply.

"I was going to give you this before…" James trailed off, his voice hoarse with emotion, as he pulled out a very neatly wrapped package. Hermione was quite frankly surprised that he was actually talking to her, but then again, he wasn't _looking_ at her, so Hermione couldn't tell. Maybe James just wanted to get rid of the present as soon as he could, so that he could forget Hermione in peace.

That thought made Hermione want to throw up. James pushed it the package into her hands roughly, and Hermione accepted it hesitantly.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, James. I couldn't, I wasn't allowed to. I know it doesn't mean anything now but… I love you," Hermione whispered. She then turned around to leave, but was stopped.

"Open it," James ordered tonelessly. Hermione hesitated yet again but nodded and slowly unwrapped the package. She untied the ribbon at a painfully slow pace and then took the paper off in a similar fashion.

She was left with a box, which she opened.

And time seemed to freeze.

That had been happening a lot lately, but this… _this_…

It was simply beautiful. Hermione's hand shook as she lifted it up, holding the long, fine chain between her fingers carefully, allowing the delicate drop to hang down. At the end of the chain twirled a very delicate looking heart shaped diamond. Or so it appeared to be. It took Hermione a moment to realize that the heart was actually made of ice.

Engraved at the front was a simple _Mi_, and at the back, _James_.

What really rattled Hermione was that it was not cold to her touch. She looked at James questioningly.

"It's an Ice Heart," he was still avoiding her eyes. "A special type of enchanted necklace, shared between… well, you know. The day it melts or breaks is the day the love between the two ceases."

Hermione took a sharp breath. "You mean, you still-"

James was silent for a moment, making Hermione's hopes go right down. But then he very slowly lifted his head up, still not _quite_ meeting her eyes, but coming a bit closer. Then he said it.

"Of course."

It took everything Hermione had not to jump into his arms then and there. But she had to make him understand first. "I'm so sorry James, oh God you don't know how bad it is. I couldn't tell you, I couldn't tell anyone, for obvious reasons. I wanted to, so badly, and when I realized I was falling for you, I nearly…. well, I don't know. I was so happy, but so, so… unresolved. I couldn't, I knew I couldn't, but I had to anyone, and it's just the way you make me-"

Hermione's babble-o-meter was going off the charts.

James cleared his throat very quietly, shutting Hermione up immediately, even with a noise that was barely audible. "I get it, M-_Hermione_. But just because I understand doesn't mean I'm any less upset or pissed off. I love you and you were lying all that time," James was clearly uncomfortable, probably form the massive show of emotion and all, but it did bring Hermione to her senses.

"I got you something too, James," here, Hermione handed her gift to James proudly. He looked at it carefully before untying the cord and putting it aside and cautiously removed the plain brown paper to find…

Well, a mirror. There was some sort of mirror thing going on around, Hermione decided. But this one was totally perfect. It had taken her _forever_ to get all the charms right, but it was worth it.

"It's a special mirror, kind of like the one you and Sirius share," Hermione began to explain. James looked sharply at her, wondering how she knew about that mirror. Hermione just widened her smile and continued.

"Any where, any time, any place… you want to talk to me, just say the name. _Any_ time, I mean it. This is exactly why I spelled it so… I knew I would probably be returning to my own time, but I couldn't bear the thought of just forgetting you. Even when one of us died, it would still work… unless both of us died, in which there would be no point in it anymore. I know I'm staying here now, but at the time… I didn't want to lose you," Hermione's voice had begun to crack towards the end of her explanation of the mirror.

She had, in fact, gotten the idea from Sirius and James' mirror, which Harry had showed her in 5th year. James ran a long finger down the frame, observing the mirror carefully.

Then, he moved forward slightly, and for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, James met her eyes. The pain in his hazel ones had not disappeared, and the fury was still present as ever.

But now, there was also a twinkle of hope.

* * *

**End 23**

Drama alert. The good thing about fan fiction is…. none of this shit would EVER happen in real life, would it now?

Anyway, I know about the banning of song fics, and since this story has lyriucs in it, I know it's just a matter of time before it gets taken down. I won't be editing out the lyrics, they are there for a reason. So I thought I might as well post quickly so that the readers could get a taste of the finish.

The reason for the long gap is because I not so long ago moved away. I was really torn up about leaving my best friend and all, but am now traveling the country, stopping here and there. We have a place where we are going to permanently stay, but first are riving around and exploring. I luckily took a spare disk with the backup of this story along with me and have stopped at an Internet Café where I am typing as we speak.

The internet café, may I add, is a lot better than when I went to the public library. Anyway, we're staying her for 2 days I think, so I'll be posting again either later today or tomorrow.

This is the last chapter before the Epilogue, so please review! I guess ya'll can understand why I am not doing review replies, but I want you to know that you guys ROCK! Quickly, just a few things to a few people,

**Gothic-hands**, thanks for ALL of your reviews, I love you! **Emerald Lily**, I plan to take a look at your Hr/J as soon as I can :) **Krstna**, thanks hun yeah I plan to use email as soon as I have stable internet, and I just want you to know that although I haven't reviewed your stuff in ages, your work is really great! **Harpiebird**, I'm flattered you put a link to your site, I really appreciate it although I'm guessing JTT won't be on much longer with the new no-lyrics policy…

**Avadne**


	25. Epilogue: A Fate

**Just Too Tempting**

By **Avadne**

**Epilogue: **A Fate

(INT: 1980)

"How are they?"

"Can we see them yet?"

"What's going on?" As 5 friends waited outside the hospital room, they were all anxiously bombarding every nurse or Healer that walked past.

"You'll be able to see them very soon, please stop worrying," the last Healer had told them patiently. But when 2 of your best friends are in a room, one in the process of giving birth to a child, none of them could really be calm.

"Do you think they'll be ok?" Pete asked, writing his hands as a nervous habit.

"Yeah, I mean, it's been a while…" Lily trailed off. Draco grinned at the image of Hermione and James. Draco and Marlene had gotten married merely a few weeks after graduation. Now Marlene Malfoy was at home taking care of their first child, only weeks old. And Hermione… well, she and Mar could bond or something.

"Don't worry; nothing bad can happen. I mean, it's _Gra_- _Pot_- er, _Hermione_," he said the name as if it explained everything. The others just looked confused, so Draco looked as if he was about to clarify, but was interrupted by a loud shriek… and a baby's cry? Immediately, 5 bodies jumped up, ready to burst into the room and see their friends. Unfortunately, a Healer stopped them just in time.

"Yes, you may go inside now. But Mr. and Mrs. Potter have been through a lot and I must ask you to behave appropriately and consider others carefully," 5 heads nodded simultaneously. Seconds later, Sirius, Remus, Draco, Pete and Lily surrounded a bed containing Hermione, sweaty and tried, but beaming radiantly. Next to her, James was seated comfortably, a bundle of blankets in his arms.

"This is Sirius, your godfather. You can call him Padfoot. And that's Lily, your godmother and there's Remus, also known as Moony. That's Pete, or if you prefer, Wormtail and last is Draco. They'll be your favourite uncles… and, er… aunt," James grinned apologetically at Lily. He pointed out each person as he spoke to the tiny infant.

"Guys, meet Harry James Potter, born at 2:31pm on a Friday, 22nd of August, 1980," Hermione was positively glowing, but Lily mock-frowned in disgust and lightly shoved James.

"You named your son after _yourself_? Like he doesn't have enough problems as it is!" Lily teased. James blushed slightly, but grinned nonetheless while the others laughed.

"Can I…?" Lily reached out. James nodded, kissed Harry's forehead and handed him to Lily. After a few minutes with her, it was Sirius. Then Remus took his turn, Pete and finally Draco.

"I can only hope you'll be better than the Harry James Potter I knew," Draco whispered to Harry, only so he could hear. The Marauders and Lily couldn't hear him, but saw he said something, so sent him questioning looks, but Hermione only smirked. Draco had a feeling she knew what he was saying. There was sadness in her eyes, but it passed as soon as it appeared. Draco handed Harry back to his mother.

"He has your eyes, Mi… but definitely the Potter hair!" Remus spoke up, his amber eyes dancing with amusement as James ran a hand through his messy hair self-consciously. Little Harry already had a few small tufts of very messy black hair, as well as Hermione's warm, caramel coloured eyes.

"Let's hope he gets Hermione's personality, too," Pete mock-whispered, grinning. James faked a hurt look, but the obvious pride at his new son couldn't be over looked. Of course, that didn't stop him from speaking out.

"Why do you all gang up on me as such? What is it that I've done wrong?" he asked dramatically, clutching his heart for an extra performance.

"If he has Potter's… uh, _James _Potter's arrogance…" Lily trailed off, shooting a look at poor James.

"Don't worry, Flower. Old Snivelly won't be hexed by the next young Potter for a while," Sirius tried to reassure her, but Lily just groaned. The whole bunch laughed at this.

"You know what? I think I can see bits of all of us in him. Hermione and I, obviously… but that smart look in his eyes belongs to Remus for sure, God knows he's the only intelligent person in _this_ room. The slightly nervous fidgeting would be Pete's. He's just _basking_ in all the attention, which equals pure Padfoot. And Lil, that's your violet tempers there," James smirked as little Harry tried to bite Hermione's finger.

"Give him a few years and the Malfoy sneers and smirks will be down to pat," added Draco, smirking for effect. As soon as he saw this, little Harry tried to imitate. That only caused in another round of laughter amongst the group of friends.

"But you're right, Draco. I _can_ see bits of all of us in him," Sirius had an uncharacteristically serious look upon him and was scratching his chin thoughtfully. Hermione beamed at the comment; there was nothing better than being surrounded by these people, her friends and family. Yes, before them, there was her mum and dad, not to mention Harry and Ron. But the Marauders, Lily and even Draco… well, their bond was truly something else, something equally special.

Things were going to be different this time around. Harry James Potter would grow up without stunning emerald eyes, but instead, warm caramel ones, full of brightness, love and inquisition. Perhaps emerald ones would be passed down later, with someone else. But Harry would grow up with both of his parents, as well as their close-knit group of friends. Sirius was the Potters' secret-keeper once more, and this time he would _remain_ that way. Pete was learning and seeing things differently, taking another path, without lies and by his friends. All of them had joined the Order. Lily wanted to be a Healer. James and Sirius were already on their Auror training. Draco was being an arrogant Malfoy bastard as always, but living without his father. Pete was undecided as of yet, but had a job at the Ministry that could turn into something bigger later on. Remus would've gladly gone anywhere that would have accepted him, but for now was just helping Dumbledore with the Order, unfortunately unemployed. Marlene was on her way to being an Unspeakable, but taking a break due to the birth of her child.

But Hermione… for now, she just wanted to be a mother. A mother to the boy that could have been Lily's. The one that would've been her best friend. But things turned out differently, and now he was her son. A completely different person, with a real family. Harry and Ron would probably still meet one day, and maybe even become the best friends they had been in a different world.

"So now it begins all over again," Hermione whispered in Harry's ear, holding him close. James gave her a look that only people in love could share as he scooted closer to his wife.

"It will be different now," he said, very quietly. He leaned over, kissed Harry's forehead again and pecked Hermione's cheek. The wizarding world wasn't at the brink of disaster anymore; dark times were still here, but the Potters were alive, their son was healthy and the battle lived on. But who knew what would happen? There was no future anymore, no fate but what they made of it.

* * *

In another ward, same hospital and not too far away, Molly and Arthur Weasley had come in with their baby son, Ronald Weasley, for a quick check-up. With them, had come their oldest son, Bill Weasley, who was looking very impatient.

"Everything seems fine with young Ron, then?" Arthur asked, smiling as Molly cooed at the newborn.

"Mum, dad, can't I _please_ go, look around?" he whined.

"Fine, Bill, but don't get lost and don't take too long," Arthur replied quickly, re-focusing on Ron again. Bill smiled with glee and ran out of the room. It didn't take him long to overhear some familiar voices.

"Sirius? Remus? Is that you?" he asked curiously, skidding to a stop in front of an open door. Inside he could make out a group of people, closest to him appearing to be Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, 2 former students of Hogwarts. Bill still remembered the time Sirius, Remus, Pete, James and Mi rescued him from some Slytherins. Both Sirius and Remus turned around at the sound of their names being said.

"Er… Bill… Weasley?" Sirius asked, scrunching up his face in an effort to remember. Bill nodded and entered the room. To his great surprise, he also saw Lily Evans, Pete Pettigrew and that Hunter Brown. No, wait, it was Draco… Draco Malfoy?

"Who's there?" called out a faint voice from behind them. The others moved away to show James Potter and his wife, who had married straight after Hogwarts. Or so Bill had heard. Hermione, or Mi as she was known, was now a Potter.

"Hello James, Mi," he greeted them with a friendly smile. Both beamed at Bill.

"Bill, great to see you. How's your baby brother?" James asked cheerfully. Bill smiled also, thinking of Ron.

"He's great. But who's that?" Bill asked in shock, just noticing that Mi had a bundle of blankets in her hands, with a baby's head just visible.

"Our newest nephew," Pete answered, grinning.

"Congratulati-" Bill began, but was cut off.

"Bill! We've been looking every where!" Molly had just entered and began scolding Bill, until she noticed the people around her.

"Oh, James and Hermione Potter! Dumbledore told us that you were expecting a baby… how precious!" Molly gasped, beaming herself at the happily couple who grinned back.

"Bill, Molly, meet Harry James Potter," she said proudly, leaning forward to show Bill her son. Bill watched with great excitement. Molly smiled again, pushing Bill out slightly.

"We must get going, but it was wonderful to see you all. I must come down for a visit with my Ron; it would be good for them to spend some time with other infants. I'm so sorry, but I must dash," And with that, both Molly and Bill left the room. So maybe now there was a bigger chance that those 2 newborns would be friends one day. Perhaps they would be enemies. But they didn't know; there was no fate yet.

* * *

There were 2 other wards, 2 that should have been occupied, but were not. Both in different hospitals from here; one would have held the Malfoys and no doubt would have been the finest medical centre. Draco Hunter Malfoy would have already been born to Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. Draco Hunter Malfoy would already be in this world, the heir to the Malfoy fortune, already being shaped and molded by his father. Already on the list of future Voldemort supporters. But that ward was empty now, due to the death of Lucius Malfoy. Now the only known Malfoy was indeed Narcissa, a widowed wife that had turned to the light side and now fought with Dumbledore. So there was no young Draco. But there was a not-so-young Draco.

The other ward was also empty; this one would have held Hermione Granger, nicknamed by her father as Mi. This would have been at a middle-class, muggle hospital in London where Mrs. Granger would be getting a check-up about her pregnancy. But that ward was empty and the Grangers had never gotten to that ward, destined for them. A miscarriage had been the end of what would have been a little girl with bushy hair and inquisitive eyes. But there was no young Hermione either, just an older one.

But Harry James Potter was alive, with both parents and their friends.

Ronald Weasley was a healthy baby with already 5 older brothers and a sister that was well on her way.

While Draco's and Hermione's parents thought they never had the chance to live, Hermione and Draco knew better. They had just begun before it was their expected time. They had started, but gone to a different universe. But they both existed, and maybe one day, Narcissa Malfoy would know she had a grown up son not too far from her age. And even if she didn't know him as her son, he could easily pass of as a relative of Lucius, for Draco's father was not there to correct the mistake. And maybe the Grangers would know they had a married daughter and a grandson that could've have been the savior of a different world. But for now, they did not know.

And maybe, one day, they would have restarted. Maybe, one day, the Grangers will have another child, possibly a boy or a girl. She or he may or may not be magical. The baby might inherit the father's blue eyes, instead of the mother's caramel ones. It might get straight blonde locks, not bushy brown ones. It might be a fan of the outdoors instead of books.

Maybe Narcissa would re-marry, have a son or daughter. One that she would raise lovingly and one that she would truly care for. Maybe that child would get a different name, Narcissa's naturally blue eyes or someone else's hair. Maybe it would grow up on the light side, a magical baby that would be sorted to Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin.

There was still time, for they had no fate planned out for them all.

**

* * *

Epilogue is done and _Just Too Tempting_ is over. Don't know whether to be sad or happy, to be honest!**

There will be no sequel as of yet. The plot for one is there, but I don't think I could do it; that may change in the future, but for now I have too much on my plate. I had some plans for it, focusing on the children of the new generation. There would in total be about 6 kids I was going to focus on (Harry, Draco and Marlene's kid, etc.), plus some from canon (Luna, Ginny). We'll see, I guess.

By the way, congrats to the people who guessed what would happen, although I think there was only one or two (I know **SlytherinBeauty** was one). Yes, the boy that Hermione saw in the enchanted mirror Remus gave her was Harry. Note that I said that his head was down and his eyes were not visible. Basically, Hermione was seeing her future son Harry, not her past best friend Harry.

Oh, if you review this, please do me a favour and tell me which chapter was your favourite. If you liked the portrayal of certain person, or line that I used or anything really, please add that too. Thanks so much.

If anyone has any queries or whatnot about this story, the sequel, or random crap, don't hesitate to e-mail me at avadne at hotmail dot com. Don't be disheartened if I don't reply hastily because as ya'll know I have very bad internet access at this stage. But I will try!

**Christine**, well no one ever said that I was normal! Lol. Thanks. I appreciate your insight, and I'm not going to deny that this is a little unrealistic, and so forth. But then again, a beautiful American exchange student coming to Hogwarts? not so realistic either. Thank you nonetheless!

**Kerri**, here's the wrap up! I hope you liked it hun! Thanks loads.

**SlytherinBeauty**, as you can see it al worked out and I'm so glad you liked it! I don't agree with fanfiction's policy about no-song fics. I have songs in this story, and I think that you should be able to do whatever you want with it, including songs. But the thing is, banning lyrics wasn't just the Admin being assholes. It is actually a LEGAL matter, I believe. However, that doesn't mean I agree! Anyway, I put my email above, so if you need any help, just holler!

**monkeystarz**, as you can see, I didn't really deal with Voldemort at all. My move was a bit… disorientated, but thanks anyway. Glad you liked the presents :D

**Gwynn****-Potter**, as you can see, they are together! Hmm…as I said above, I'm not sure about the sequel, but I'm not making any definite decisions. If you have any queries about it, just email me at avadne at hotmail dot com. Thanks!

Thank you all so much!

Avadne


End file.
